Athens, LA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Athens: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Athens and Claiborne Parish, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Claiborne Parish numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 146 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Claiborne Parish compares with Louisiana
Claiborne Parish against Louisiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Claiborne Parish stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Claiborne Parish | Louisiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 94.0 | 81.5 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.0 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.79 | 0.77 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.4% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 34% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.7% | 0.8% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.3% | 23.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.7% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.6% | 40.3% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 22.9% | 23.9% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Louisiana, Claiborne Parish is lower on garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and winter months (nov–mar).
The headline for Athens: I-20 5 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Athens.
Overview
Police reported 146 crashes involving commercial trucks in Claiborne Parish since 2015: 113 people were injured and 7 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 29 days.
Athens had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Claiborne Parish numbers.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 11.6% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (4.1%).
November through March accounts for 43.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.3% in Louisiana.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 13.0% of truck crashes.
0.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.8% across Louisiana.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Athens is I-20, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come US-79 (1) and US-80 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.4% share (Louisiana: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Athens fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-20 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
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 Claiborne Parish
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-20 | 5 |
| US-79 | 1 |
| US-80 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Claiborne Parish) |
|---|---|
| US-79 | 50 |
| La-9 | 21 |
| La-2 | 19 |
| La-520 | 8 |
| La-154 | 6 |
| La-615 | 4 |
| US-0 | 3 |
| La-534 | 3 |
Athens at a glance
| Population | 229 |
| Land area | 3.5 sq mi |
| Density | 65 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 71003) | $37,692 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Claiborne Parish 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 | 5 | — | 1.0 |
| 2000s | 10 | +98% | 1.4 |
| 2010s | 17 | +74% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 10 | -42% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 a year in the 1990s and 10 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Athens
How many truck crashes happen in Athens?
Claiborne Parish has had 146 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 113 people and killing 7.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Athens?
NHTSA data shows I-20 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Athens since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Athens?
Truck crashes in Claiborne Parish peak in March, with 11.6% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Athens?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Claiborne Parish since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
How does Athens compare with Louisiana for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 94.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Claiborne Parish, vs 81.5 for Louisiana.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Athens?
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.