New Salem, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in New Salem: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in New Salem and Franklin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Franklin County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 187 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Franklin County compares with Massachusetts
Franklin County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Franklin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Franklin County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 21.7 | 22.9 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.1 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 78% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.7% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.4% | 27.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.0% | 13.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 35.5% | 41.9% | 41.9% | 15% below the state |
| After dark | 19.5% | 19.2% | 24.8% | same |
Franklin County has lower values than Massachusetts for garbage-truck share and winter months (nov–mar). It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Franklin County: 7.1 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.0 across Massachusetts.
Overview
Since 2015, 187 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Franklin County. They injured 84 people and killed 12.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 24 days.
Only 5 truck crashes were reported in New Salem since 2015; patterns below come from Franklin County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (13.4% of the year) and are lowest in November (2.7%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 35.5% of truck crashes, against 41.9% across Massachusetts.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (8.6%).
10.7% 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 New Salem happened on SR-2 (1) and US-202 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.1% share (Massachusetts: 5.3%).
Route planning tips for New Salem fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 10.7% of truck crashes here, more than Massachusetts; schedule winter checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Franklin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-2 | 1 |
| US-202 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Franklin County) |
|---|---|
| Greenfield Rd | 4 |
| Mohawk Trail | 4 |
| 3Rd St @ Ave A St | 2 |
| Avery Brook Rd | 2 |
| Federal St | 2 |
| Northfield Road | 2 |
| Prescott Rd @ Daniel Shays Hwy | 2 |
| Rte 2 | 2 |
New Salem at a glance
| Population | 1,023 |
| Land area | 44.8 sq mi |
| Density | 23 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01355) | $82,713 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01355) | $376,650 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Franklin 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 | 8 | — | 1.0 |
| 2000s | 18 | +110% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 16 | -9% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 16 | +2% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 16. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about New Salem
How many truck crashes happen in New Salem?
Franklin County has had 187 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 84 people and killing 12.
When do most truck crashes happen in New Salem?
The worst month is August: 13.4% of truck crashes in Franklin County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in New Salem?
Since 2015, Franklin County has reported 2 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.1% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in New Salem compare with Massachusetts?
Franklin County records 21.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 22.9 across Massachusetts.
How can I plan a safer truck route in New Salem?
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.