Kansas truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Kansas: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.3 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kansas compares with United States
Kansas against United States, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kansas stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kansas | United States | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 61.4 | 49.7 | 1.2× the US |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.8 | 3.4 | 1.4× the US |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.49 | 35% below the US |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.1% | 2.3% | 10% below the US |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.3% | 6.2% | 1.5× the US |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.2% | 13.8% | 1.1× the US |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 23.2% | 24.8% | same |
Kansas sits below the US on injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Kansas: I-70 50 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road in Kansas.
Overview
Since 2015, 21,000 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kansas. They injured 6,751 people and killed 998.
That averages about 5 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 10.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 7.7%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.2% of truck crashes, against 41.9% across the US.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (7.3%).
Road surface: 9.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (the US: 6.2%).
Where crashes happen
I-70 leads in Kansas with 50 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by US-54 (48), US-50 (40) and I-35 (35).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 440 of the truck crashes here, or 2.1%, compared with 2.3% in the US.
Their busiest month is January, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 3.3 deaths per 100 crashes, against 4.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Kansas fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-70; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 9.3% of truck crashes here, more than the US; schedule winter checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Kansas
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Kansas) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 50 |
| US-54 | 48 |
| US-50 | 40 |
| I-35 | 35 |
| US-400 | 25 |
| US-56 | 24 |
| US-75 | 24 |
| US-83 | 22 |
| US-160 | 21 |
| US-169 | 21 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kansas) |
|---|---|
| I-070 | 2,211 |
| I-035 | 2,124 |
| I-135 | 602 |
| I-435 | 496 |
| I070Kta | 189 |
| I-635 | 187 |
| I-35 | 182 |
| I-70 | 162 |
Kansas at a glance
| Population | 2,970,606 |
| Land area | 81,758.6 sq mi |
| Density | 36 per sq mi |
Historical data: truck crashes in Kansas 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 | 1,013 | — | 61.8 |
| 2000s | 1,525 | +51% | 65.5 |
| 2010s | 1,701 | +12% | 64.1 |
| 2020s | 1,903 | +12% | 67.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 1,013 a year in the 1990s and 1,903 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 74.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 67.8 a year in 2020–24.
Counties in Kansas
Largest places in Kansas
Nearby states
Questions fleets ask about Kansas
How many truck accidents are there in Kansas?
Kansas has had 21,000 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 6,751 people and killing 998.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Kansas?
Since 2015, I-70 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes in Kansas: 50.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Kansas?
The worst month is January: 10.0% of truck crashes in Kansas happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Kansas?
Garbage trucks were involved in 440 reported crashes in Kansas since 2015 (2.1% of truck crashes).
How does Kansas compare with the US for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 61.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Kansas, vs 49.7 for the US.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Kansas?
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.