Ottawa County, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ottawa County: 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
0 of 62 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Ottawa County compares with Kansas
Ottawa County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Ottawa County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Ottawa County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 90.1 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.6 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.52 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 1.6× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.2% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 44% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.4% | 23.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 3.5% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 77% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 53.4% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 1.3× the state |
| After dark | 24.1% | 23.2% | 24.8% | same |
Ottawa County sits below Kansas on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Kansas on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Ottawa County: 0 crashes involve a garbage truck (0 since 2015), vs 2.1% across Kansas.
Overview
Police reported 62 crashes involving commercial trucks in Ottawa County since 2015: 30 people were injured and 5 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 69 days.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 16.1% of the yearly total, while July has the fewest (0.0%).
November through March accounts for 53.4% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.2% in Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (12.9%).
5.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.3% across Kansas.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck in Ottawa County happened on US-81 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Ottawa County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Ottawa County fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Ottawa County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in Ottawa County) |
|---|---|
| US-81 | 3 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Ottawa County) |
|---|---|
| 10Th | 2 |
| 170Th | 2 |
| 5Th | 2 |
| Rest Area | 2 |
| 30Th | 1 |
| Arrowhead | 1 |
| Bennington | 1 |
| Frontier | 1 |
Ottawa County at a glance
| Population | 5,853 |
| Land area | 720.7 sq mi |
| Density | 8 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP average) | $67,403 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ottawa 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 | 4 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 4 | +7% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 6 | +47% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 4 | -29% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 4 to 4. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Cities, towns & communities in Ottawa County
ZIP codes in Ottawa County
Nearby counties
Questions fleets ask about Ottawa County
How common are truck crashes in Ottawa County?
Ottawa County has had 62 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 30 people and killing 5.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Ottawa County?
Truck crashes in Ottawa County peak in March, with 16.1% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Ottawa County?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Ottawa County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Ottawa County compare with Kansas?
Ottawa County records 90.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Ottawa County?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.