Hiawatha, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Hiawatha: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Hiawatha and Brown County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Brown County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 129 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Brown County compares with Kansas
Brown County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Brown County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Brown County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 125.3 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 2.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 13.5 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.33 | 0.32 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 24% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 7.1% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 23% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.6% | 23.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.5% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 37% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 34.1% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 19% below the state |
| After dark | 24.6% | 23.2% | 24.8% | same |
Brown County has lower values than Kansas for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Kansas on crashes per 100k residents / yr and deaths per 100 crashes.
The headline for Brown County: 13.5 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Kansas: 4.8).
Overview
Since 2015, 129 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Brown County. They injured 42 people and killed 17.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 32 days.
Hiawatha had 3 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Brown County numbers.
75% of truck crash reports in Brown County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 13.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 2.3%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 34.1% of truck crashes, vs 42.2% for Kansas.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 11.6% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 7.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Kansas: 9.3%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Hiawatha is US-36, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: 170th Rd (1), Kestral Rd (1) and US-73 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 1.6%, compared with 2.1% in Kansas.
Route planning tips for Hiawatha fleets
- Plan June schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Brown County.
- Check whether your routes use US-36, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Brown County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-36 | 2 |
| 170th Rd | 1 |
| Kestral Rd | 1 |
| US-73 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Brown County) |
|---|---|
| Thrasher | 3 |
| 270Th | 2 |
| 330Th | 2 |
| Dewberry | 2 |
| Timber | 2 |
| 15Th | 1 |
| 170Th Rd And Goldfinch Rd | 1 |
| 175Th | 1 |
Hiawatha at a glance
| Population | 3,137 |
| Land area | 2.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1,201 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 66434) | $76,613 |
| Median home value (ZIP 66434) | $136,771 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Brown 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 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 8 | +68% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 10 | +27% | 0.9 |
| 2020s | 12 | +23% | 1.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 a year in the 1990s and 12 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Hiawatha
How many truck crashes happen in Hiawatha?
Since 2015, 129 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Brown County (42 injured, 17 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Hiawatha?
NHTSA data shows US-36 with 2 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Hiawatha since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Hiawatha?
The worst month is June: 13.2% of truck crashes in Brown County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Hiawatha?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2 reported crashes in Brown County since 2015 (1.6% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Hiawatha compared with Kansas?
Brown County records 125.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Hiawatha?
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.