Swampscott, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Swampscott: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Swampscott and Essex County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Essex County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Essex County compares with Massachusetts
Essex County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Essex County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Essex County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 18.6 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 19% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 7.7% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.6% | 6.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.8% | 27.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.6% | 13.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.3% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.9% | 19.2% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Massachusetts, Essex County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr and deaths per 100 crashes. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share.
The headline for Essex County: 1 in 13 crashes involve a garbage truck (137 since 2015), vs 5.3% across Massachusetts.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,776 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Essex County. They injured 816 people and killed 33.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
Swampscott had 4 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Essex County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in December (10.9% of the year) and are lowest in April (6.8%).
November through March accounts for 43.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.9% in Massachusetts.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (8.1%).
6.6% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 6.6% across Massachusetts.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Swampscott happened on SR-99 (2), US-1 (2), I-95 (1), Marginal St (1) and Newbury St (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 137 of the truck crashes here, or 7.7%, compared with 5.3% in Massachusetts.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in December (12% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.8, vs 1.7 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Swampscott fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Essex County.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Essex County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Essex County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-99 | 2 |
| US-1 | 2 |
| I-95 | 1 |
| Marginal St | 1 |
| Newbury St | 1 |
| Sylvan St | 1 |
| Washington St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Essex County) |
|---|---|
| Rte 495 | 23 |
| Rte 1 | 17 |
| Broadway | 12 |
| Main St | 12 |
| Rte 95 | 11 |
| Lowell St | 7 |
| Washington St | 7 |
| Rte 495 S X 97A | 6 |
Swampscott at a glance
| Population | 15,658 |
| Land area | 3.0 sq mi |
| Density | 5,181 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01907) | $134,386 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01907) | $767,539 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Essex 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 | 40 | — | 3.4 |
| 2000s | 112 | +183% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 158 | +42% | 2.8 |
| 2020s | 159 | +1% | 2.4 |
In the 1990s about 40 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 159. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 2.5 a year in 2016–19, 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Swampscott
How many truck crashes happen in Swampscott?
Essex County has had 1,776 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 816 people and killing 33.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Swampscott?
December has the most truck crashes in Essex County, 10.9% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Swampscott?
Garbage trucks were involved in 137 reported crashes in Essex County since 2015 (7.7% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Swampscott compared with Massachusetts?
Per 100,000 residents, Essex County has 18.6 truck crashes a year; Massachusetts has 22.9.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Swampscott?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.