Niles, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Niles: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Niles and Ottawa County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ottawa County numbers.
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. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Ottawa County at a glance: 0 crashes involve a garbage truck (0 since 2015), vs 2.1% across Kansas.
Overview
Since 2015, 62 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Ottawa County. They injured 30 people and killed 5.
That averages about one truck crash every 69 days in fully reported years.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Niles since 2015, this page uses Ottawa County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
71% of truck crash reports in Ottawa County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in March (16.1% of the year) and are lowest in July (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 53.4% of truck crashes, against 42.2% across 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
Within this area, I-70 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). It is followed by E Old 40 Hwy (1), Old 40 Hwy (1) and SR-143 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Ottawa County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Niles fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-70 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- 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 Ottawa County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 3 |
| E Old 40 Hwy | 1 |
| Old 40 Hwy | 1 |
| SR-143 | 1 |
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 |
Niles at a glance
| Land area | 0.5 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 67480) | $67,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 67480) | $168,002 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 4 a year in the 1990s and 4 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 0.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Niles
How many truck crashes happen in Niles?
Ottawa County has had 62 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 30 people and killing 5.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Niles?
Since 2015, I-70 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Niles: 3.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Niles?
March has the most truck crashes in Ottawa County, 16.1% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Niles?
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 Niles compare with Kansas?
Ottawa County records 90.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Niles?
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.