Columbia, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Columbia: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Columbia and Ellsworth County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ellsworth County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 170 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Ellsworth County compares with Kansas
Ellsworth County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Ellsworth County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Ellsworth County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 237.5 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 3.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 13.9 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.6% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 2.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 10.9% | 23.1% | 23.7% | 53% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 24.9% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 1.6× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.1% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 27.3% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Ellsworth County has lower values than Kansas for garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Ellsworth County: 13.9 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Kansas: 4.8).
Overview
Since 2015, 170 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Ellsworth County. They injured 69 people and killed 23.
That averages about one truck crash every 24 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Columbia since 2015; patterns below come from Ellsworth County as a whole.
74% of truck crash reports in Ellsworth 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 17.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 4.7%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 49.1% of truck crashes, vs 42.2% for Kansas.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 8.8% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 20.6% of truck crashes, compared with 9.3% in Kansas.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Columbia since 2015: I-70 (2) and SR-156 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.8% share (Kansas: 2.1%).
Route planning tips for Columbia fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 20.6% of truck crashes here, more than Kansas; schedule winter checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Ellsworth County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 2 |
| SR-156 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Ellsworth County) |
|---|---|
| I-070 | 71 |
| I-70 | 15 |
| 10Th Road | 1 |
| 11Th | 1 |
| 15Th | 1 |
| 18Th Road | 1 |
| 3Rd | 1 |
| Douglas | 1 |
Columbia at a glance
| Population | 51 |
| Land area | 36.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 67490) | $67,115 |
| Median home value (ZIP 67490) | $88,144 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ellsworth 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 | 11 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 17 | +59% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 16 | -5% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 15 | -9% | 0.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 11 to 15. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Columbia
How common are truck crashes in Columbia?
170 truck crashes have been reported in Ellsworth County since 2015, with 23 deaths and 69 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Columbia?
The worst month is January: 17.6% of truck crashes in Ellsworth County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Columbia?
Since 2015, Ellsworth County has reported 3 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.8% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Columbia compare with Kansas?
Ellsworth County records 237.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Columbia?
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.