Natick, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Natick: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Natick and Middlesex County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Middlesex County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.2 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Middlesex County compares with Massachusetts
Middlesex County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Middlesex County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.2 | 22.9 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.46 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.7% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.2% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 7% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 30.4% | 27.3% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.8% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 10% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.4% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.5% | 19.2% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Compared with Massachusetts, Middlesex County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Natick: I-90 deadliest road: 5 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Natick since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 4,505 crashes involving commercial trucks in Middlesex County since 2015: 1,863 people were injured and 73 were killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Natick had 58 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Middlesex County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 6.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.4% of truck crashes, vs 41.9% for Massachusetts.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.1%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 6.2% of truck crashes, compared with 6.6% in Massachusetts.
Where crashes happen
I-90 leads within 10 miles of Natick with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-95 (3), SR-135 (2) and SR-16 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 255 of the truck crashes here, or 5.7%, compared with 5.3% in Massachusetts.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in November (12%).
They recorded 1.2 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Natick fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-90 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at November schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 30.4% of truck crashes here, more than Massachusetts; adjust start times where you can.
- 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 Middlesex County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 5 |
| I-95 | 3 |
| SR-135 | 2 |
| SR-16 | 2 |
| Washington St | 2 |
| Pleasant St | 1 |
| SR-126 | 1 |
| US-20 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Middlesex County) |
|---|---|
| Main St | 52 |
| Rte 495 | 24 |
| Washington St | 19 |
| Ballardvale St | 19 |
| Main Street | 16 |
| Boston Post Rd | 16 |
| Rte 90 E X 123 | 15 |
| Lowell St | 13 |
Natick at a glance
| Population | 37,316 |
| Land area | 15.0 sq mi |
| Density | 2,495 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01760) | $138,563 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01760) | $819,622 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Middlesex 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 | 107 | — | 5.5 |
| 2000s | 284 | +165% | 4.7 |
| 2010s | 398 | +40% | 4.5 |
| 2020s | 406 | +2% | 7.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 107 to 406. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 4.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 7.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Natick
How many truck accidents are there in Natick?
4,505 truck crashes have been reported in Middlesex County since 2015, with 73 deaths and 1,863 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Natick?
Since 2015, I-90 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Natick: 5.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Natick?
January has the most truck crashes in Middlesex County, 9.5% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Natick?
255 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Middlesex County since 2015, 5.7% of all truck crashes.
How does Natick compare with Massachusetts for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 23.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Middlesex County, vs 22.9 for Massachusetts.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Natick?
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.