Topeka, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Topeka: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Topeka 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 runs above Kansas on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Shawnee County: 1 in 28 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 3.5%, vs 2.1% in Kansas.
Overview
Police reported 695 crashes involving commercial trucks in Shawnee County since 2015: 208 people were injured and 22 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 6 days.
Topeka had 391 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Shawnee County numbers.
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
The worst month is January with 9.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.5%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.8% of truck crashes, vs 42.2% for Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.4%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 10.0% of truck crashes, compared with 9.3% in Kansas.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 15 miles of Topeka is I-70, with 6 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: I-470 (3), US-24 (3) and US-75 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
24 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (Kansas: 2.1%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in March (17% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 3.2 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Topeka fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-70; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- With 10.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Kansas), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 15 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 6 |
| I-470 | 3 |
| US-24 | 3 |
| US-75 | 3 |
| I-335 | 2 |
| 4th St | 1 |
| 6th Ave | 1 |
| Se 53rd St | 1 |
| Se Croco Rd | 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 |
Topeka at a glance
| Population | 125,467 |
| Land area | 61.9 sq mi |
| Density | 2,027 per sq mi |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 65 a year in the 1990s and 67 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Topeka
How common are truck crashes in Topeka?
Shawnee County has had 695 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 208 people and killing 22.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Topeka?
Since 2015, I-70 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 15 miles of Topeka: 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Topeka?
Truck crashes in Shawnee County peak in January, with 9.9% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Topeka?
24 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Shawnee County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Topeka compared with Kansas?
Shawnee County records 34.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Topeka?
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.