Cottonwood Falls, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cottonwood Falls: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cottonwood Falls and Chase County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Chase County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 255 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Chase County compares with Kansas
Chase County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Chase County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Chase County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 933.4 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 15.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.8 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 21% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.15 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 53% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 26.5% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 2.9× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.7% | 23.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 32.5% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 2.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 57.3% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 1.4× the state |
| After dark | 28.2% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Chase County has lower values than Kansas for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Chase County: 26.5% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Kansas: 9.3%).
Overview
Police reported 255 crashes involving commercial trucks in Chase County since 2015: 39 people were injured and 11 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 16 days in fully reported years.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Cottonwood Falls since 2015; patterns below come from Chase County as a whole.
79% of truck crash reports in Chase County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 18.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 4.3%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 57.3% of truck crashes, vs 42.2% for Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (11.0%).
Road surface: 26.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Kansas: 9.3%).
Where crashes happen
US-50 leads within 10 miles of Cottonwood Falls with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come Yy Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Chase County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Cottonwood Falls fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Chase County.
- Look at alternatives to US-50 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- With 26.5% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Kansas), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Crash reporting for 2023 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Chase County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-50 | 5 |
| Yy Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Chase County) |
|---|---|
| I-035 | 168 |
| I035Kta | 4 |
| Mfg Service Area | 2 |
| Old Hwy 50 | 2 |
| US-050 | 2 |
| Service Area | 1 |
Cottonwood Falls at a glance
| Population | 833 |
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1,293 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 66845) | $51,771 |
| Median home value (ZIP 66845) | $100,898 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Chase 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 | 13 | — | 1.3 |
| 2000s | 18 | +32% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 17 | -2% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 23 | +31% | 0.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 13 a year in the 1990s and 23 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cottonwood Falls
How many truck crashes happen in Cottonwood Falls?
255 truck crashes have been reported in Chase County since 2015, with 11 deaths and 39 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Cottonwood Falls?
Since 2015, US-50 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cottonwood Falls: 5.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cottonwood Falls?
January has the most truck crashes in Chase County, 18.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Cottonwood Falls?
Since 2015, Chase County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Cottonwood Falls compare with Kansas?
Per 100,000 residents, Chase County has 933.4 truck crashes a year; Kansas has 61.4.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Cottonwood Falls?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2023; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.