Salina, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Salina: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Salina and Saline County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Saline County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
7 of 400 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Saline County compares with Kansas
Saline County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Saline County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Saline County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 65.6 | 61.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.4 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 29% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.30 | 0.32 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 16.6% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 1.8× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.4% | 23.1% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.8% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 1.5× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.4% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 30.0% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Saline County has lower values than Kansas for deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share. It runs above Kansas on on snow, slush or ice, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
Saline County at a glance: 16.6% on snowy, slushy or icy roads, against 9.3% across Kansas.
Overview
Saline County has recorded 400 truck crashes since 2015, with 120 people injured and 13 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 10 days in fully reported years.
Only 113 truck crashes were reported in Salina since 2015; patterns below come from Saline County as a whole.
62% of truck crash reports in Saline County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.0% of the year) and are lowest in February (5.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 46.4% of truck crashes, against 42.2% across Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.8%).
16.6% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.3% across Kansas.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Salina is I-135, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: I-70 (1), Old 40 Hwy (1) and S Broadway Blvd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 7 of the truck crashes here, or 1.8%, compared with 2.1% in Kansas.
Route planning tips for Salina fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Saline County.
- Look at alternatives to I-135 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 26.4% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Kansas.
- 16.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Kansas; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Saline County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-135 | 2 |
| I-70 | 1 |
| Old 40 Hwy | 1 |
| S Broadway Blvd | 1 |
| S Burma | 1 |
| SR-143 | 1 |
| W Crawford St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Saline County) |
|---|---|
| I-070 | 113 |
| I-135 | 111 |
| I-70 | 24 |
| 9Th | 16 |
| Ohio | 8 |
| Crawford | 7 |
| Brookville | 6 |
| Old 40 | 6 |
Salina at a glance
| Population | 46,109 |
| Land area | 26.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,754 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Saline 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 | 25 | — | 1.0 |
| 2000s | 34 | +36% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 34 | -2% | 0.9 |
| 2020s | 35 | +4% | 0.8 |
In the 1990s about 25 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 35. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Salina
How many truck crashes happen in Salina?
Since 2015, 400 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Saline County (120 injured, 13 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Salina?
Since 2015, I-135 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Salina: 2.
When do most truck crashes happen in Salina?
January has the most truck crashes in Saline County, 13.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Salina?
Garbage trucks were involved in 7 reported crashes in Saline County since 2015 (1.8% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Salina compared with Kansas?
The yearly rate is 65.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Saline County, vs 61.4 for Kansas.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Salina?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.