Needham, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Needham: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Needham and Norfolk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Norfolk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Norfolk County compares with Massachusetts
Norfolk County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Norfolk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Norfolk County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.4 | 22.9 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 10% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.5% | 5.3% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.1% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 38% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.5% | 27.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.5% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 12% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.0% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.9% | 19.2% | 24.8% | 17% below the state |
Norfolk County sits below Massachusetts on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Needham at a glance: I-90 5 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Needham.
Overview
Police reported 2,034 crashes involving commercial trucks in Norfolk County since 2015: 980 people were injured and 38 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
With 97 truck crashes reported in Needham since 2015, this page uses Norfolk County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
June has the most truck crashes, 9.5% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (6.9%).
November through March accounts for 42.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.9% in Massachusetts.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.8%).
Road surface: 4.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Massachusetts: 6.6%).
Where crashes happen
I-90 leads within 10 miles of Needham with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come I-95 (4), SR-2A (4) and Washington St (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
107 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 5.3% share (Massachusetts: 5.3%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in September (12% of them).
They recorded 1.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Needham fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-90; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at September schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Norfolk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 5 |
| I-95 | 4 |
| SR-2A | 4 |
| Washington St | 3 |
| Cambridge St | 2 |
| Massachusetts Ave | 2 |
| Putnam Ave | 2 |
| SR-138 | 2 |
| SR-16 | 2 |
| Brookline Ave | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Norfolk County) |
|---|---|
| Washington St | 29 |
| Main St | 19 |
| Rte 95 | 18 |
| Granite St | 12 |
| East St | 12 |
| Rte 93 | 12 |
| Central St | 9 |
| Washington Street | 9 |
Needham at a glance
| Population | 32,931 |
| Land area | 12.3 sq mi |
| Density | 2,678 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 02492) | $226,645 |
| Median home value (ZIP 02492) | $1,227,455 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Norfolk 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 | 72 | — | 3.3 |
| 2000s | 160 | +124% | 3.5 |
| 2010s | 200 | +25% | 1.9 |
| 2020s | 178 | -11% | 3.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 72 to 178. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 3.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Needham
How common are truck crashes in Needham?
2,034 truck crashes have been reported in Norfolk County since 2015, with 38 deaths and 980 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Needham?
NHTSA data shows I-90 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Needham since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Needham?
June has the most truck crashes in Norfolk County, 9.5% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Needham?
Since 2015, Norfolk County has reported 107 garbage-truck crashes, or 5.3% of its truck crashes.
How does Needham compare with Massachusetts for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 23.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Norfolk County, vs 22.9 for Massachusetts.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Needham?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.