Petersham, MA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Petersham: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Petersham and Worcester County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Worcester County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Worcester County compares with Massachusetts
Worcester County against Massachusetts and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Worcester County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Worcester County | Massachusetts | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 35.7 | 22.9 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.1% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 23% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.3% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.7% | 27.3% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.7% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.7% | 41.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.8% | 19.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Massachusetts, Worcester County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Worcester County: January garbage-truck crashes peak in January (14% of the year's total).
Overview
Since 2015, 3,757 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Worcester County. They injured 1,623 people and killed 63.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
With 1 truck crash reported in Petersham since 2015, this page uses Worcester County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 9.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.4%.
November through March accounts for 43.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.9% in Massachusetts.
By time of day, 8–9 am stands out with 7.4% of truck crashes.
9.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 6.6% across Massachusetts.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Petersham since 2015: SR-2 (1) and US-202 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
148 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.9% share (Massachusetts: 5.3%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (14%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 3.5 deaths compared with 1.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Petersham fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at January schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 9.3% of truck crashes here, more than Massachusetts; schedule winter checks early.
- 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 Worcester 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 (Worcester County) |
|---|---|
| Main St | 54 |
| Cambridge St | 49 |
| Hammond St | 26 |
| Southwest Cutoff | 26 |
| Turnpike Rd | 23 |
| Webster St | 19 |
| E Main St | 13 |
| Southbridge St | 12 |
Petersham at a glance
| Population | 1,246 |
| Land area | 1.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,010 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 01366) | $110,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 01366) | $394,042 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Worcester 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 | 76 | — | 6.7 |
| 2000s | 220 | +190% | 4.4 |
| 2010s | 295 | +34% | 5.3 |
| 2020s | 352 | +19% | 4.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 76 a year in the 1990s and 352 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 5.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Petersham
How common are truck crashes in Petersham?
Worcester County has had 3,757 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,623 people and killing 63.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Petersham?
The worst month is August: 9.4% of truck crashes in Worcester County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Petersham?
Garbage trucks were involved in 148 reported crashes in Worcester County since 2015 (3.9% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Petersham compare with Massachusetts?
Worcester County records 35.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 22.9 across Massachusetts.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Petersham?
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.