Cotton, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cotton: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cotton and Switzerland County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Switzerland County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 52 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Switzerland County compares with Indiana
Switzerland County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Switzerland County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Switzerland County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 47.3 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 41% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.0× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.8% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.9% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 82% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.2% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.7% | 17.4% | 13.8% | 56% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.5% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 10% below the state |
| After dark | 38.5% | 32.0% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Indiana, Switzerland County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
Switzerland County at a glance: 1 in 17 garbage-truck share of crashes is 5.8%, against 2.4% for Indiana.
Overview
Since 2015, 52 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Switzerland County. They injured 25 people and killed 3.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 77 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Cotton since 2015, this page uses Switzerland County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 19.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is June at 1.9%.
November through March accounts for 38.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Indiana.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 17.3% of truck crashes.
1.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 10.6% across Indiana.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Cotton happened on SR-156 (2), US-42 (2) and Sr- 156 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 5.8% share (Indiana: 2.4%).
Route planning tips for Cotton fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Switzerland County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-156 | 2 |
| US-42 | 2 |
| Sr- 156 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Switzerland County) |
|---|---|
| SR-156 | 4 |
| State Road 56 | 3 |
| State Rd 56 | 3 |
| SR-156E | 3 |
| SR-129 | 3 |
| SR-129N | 2 |
| SR-250 | 2 |
| SR-56N | 2 |
Cotton at a glance
| Population | 1,848 |
| Land area | 36.0 sq mi |
| Density | 51 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Switzerland 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 | 2 | — | 0.0 |
| 2000s | 2 | +38% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 4 | +96% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 5 | +11% | 0.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 2 to 5. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cotton
How many truck accidents are there in Cotton?
Since 2015, 52 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Switzerland County (25 injured, 3 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Cotton?
The worst month is August: 19.2% of truck crashes in Switzerland County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Cotton?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Switzerland County since 2015, 5.8% of all truck crashes.
How does Cotton compare with Indiana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 47.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Switzerland County, vs 80.8 for Indiana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Cotton?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.