Silver Lake, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Silver Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Silver Lake and Shawnee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Shawnee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Shawnee County compares with Kansas
Shawnee County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Shawnee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Shawnee County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.7 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 43% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 33% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.29 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 9% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.5% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.0% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.7% | 23.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.9% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.8% | 42.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.1% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 18% below the state |
Compared with Kansas, Shawnee County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Shawnee County at a glance: 1 in 28 garbage-truck share of crashes is 3.5%, against 2.1% for Kansas.
Overview
Shawnee County has recorded 695 truck crashes since 2015, with 208 people injured and 22 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 6 days in fully reported years.
With 6 truck crashes reported in Silver Lake since 2015, this page uses Shawnee County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
37% of truck crash reports in Shawnee 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 (9.9% of the year) and are lowest in April (5.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.8% of truck crashes, against 42.2% across Kansas.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.4% of truck crashes.
10.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.3% across Kansas.
Where crashes happen
I-70 leads within 10 miles of Silver Lake with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-470 (1), US-24 (1) and US-75 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
24 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (Kansas: 2.1%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (17%).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.2 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Silver Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-70, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 10.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Kansas; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Shawnee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 4 |
| I-470 | 1 |
| US-24 | 1 |
| US-75 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Shawnee County) |
|---|---|
| I-070 | 189 |
| I-470 | 48 |
| Topeka | 37 |
| I-335 | 27 |
| I-70 | 14 |
| I070Kta | 14 |
| 17Th | 9 |
| 29Th | 8 |
Silver Lake at a glance
| Population | 1,312 |
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Density | 2,330 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 66539) | $87,554 |
| Median home value (ZIP 66539) | $229,504 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Shawnee 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 | 65 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 61 | -6% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 59 | -3% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 67 | +13% | 1.8 |
In the 1990s about 65 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 67. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Silver Lake
How many truck accidents are there in Silver Lake?
Shawnee County has had 695 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 208 people and killing 22.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Silver Lake?
NHTSA data shows I-70 with 4 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Silver Lake since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Silver Lake?
Truck crashes in Shawnee County peak in January, with 9.9% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Silver Lake?
24 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Shawnee County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Silver Lake compare with Kansas?
The yearly rate is 34.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Shawnee County, vs 61.4 for Kansas.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Silver Lake?
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.