Santa Claus, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Santa Claus: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Santa Claus and Spencer County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Spencer County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 191 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Spencer County compares with Indiana
Spencer County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Spencer County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Spencer County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 80.6 | 80.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.3 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.36 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.2% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 42% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.4% | 22.4% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.4% | 17.4% | 13.8% | 23% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.7% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.1% | 32.0% | 24.8% | same |
Spencer County sits below Indiana on on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Spencer County: 7.3 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.9 across Indiana.
Overview
Since 2015, 191 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Spencer County. They injured 64 people and killed 13.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 22 days.
Santa Claus had 15 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Spencer County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 12.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 5.2%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 44.7% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Indiana.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 8.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 6.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, US-231 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). Next come I-64W (2), I-64 (1) and SR-161 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 5 of the truck crashes here, or 2.6%, compared with 2.4% in Indiana.
Route planning tips for Santa Claus fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to US-231 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Spencer County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-231 | 3 |
| I-64W | 2 |
| I-64 | 1 |
| SR-161 | 1 |
| SR-66 | 1 |
| US-231N | 1 |
| Us- 231 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Spencer County) |
|---|---|
| US-231 | 18 |
| I-64 | 18 |
| SR-66 | 16 |
| US-231N | 12 |
| SR-66E | 11 |
| I-64W | 11 |
| I-64E | 8 |
| SR-66W | 7 |
Santa Claus at a glance
| Population | 2,657 |
| Land area | 6.5 sq mi |
| Density | 410 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 47579) | $87,926 |
| Median home value (ZIP 47579) | $259,385 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Spencer County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 18 | +260% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 17 | -1% | 1.2 |
| 2020s | 16 | -6% | 1.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 16. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Santa Claus
How many truck crashes happen in Santa Claus?
Spencer County has had 191 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 64 people and killing 13.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Santa Claus?
Since 2015, US-231 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Santa Claus: 3.
When do most truck crashes happen in Santa Claus?
Truck crashes in Spencer County peak in February, with 12.6% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Santa Claus?
5 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Spencer County since 2015, 2.6% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Santa Claus compared with Indiana?
Per 100,000 residents, Spencer County has 80.6 truck crashes a year; Indiana has 80.8.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Santa Claus?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.