California, MD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in California: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in California and St. Mary's County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use St. Mary's County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
14 of 367 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How St. Mary's County compares with Maryland
St. Mary's County against Maryland and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where St. Mary's County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | St. Mary's County | Maryland | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 27.1 | 49.3 | 49.7 | 45% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 9% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.67 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.0% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.6% | 2.4% | 6.2% | 76% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 31.7% | 24.7% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.5% | 13.8% | 13.8% | 31% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.8% | 40.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 13.3% | 25.2% | 24.8% | 47% below the state |
Compared with Maryland, St. Mary's County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
St. Mary's County at a glance: 0.6% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 2.4% in Maryland.
Overview
Police reported 367 crashes involving commercial trucks in St. Mary's County since 2015: 243 people were injured and 8 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 12 days.
California had 9 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use St. Mary's County numbers.
85% of truck crash reports in St. Mary's County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 12.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 6.3%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.8% of truck crashes, vs 40.4% for Maryland.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (11.4%).
Road surface: 0.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maryland: 2.4%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of California happened on SR-4 (2), SR-234 (1) and SR-235 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
14 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.8% share (Maryland: 3.1%).
Route planning tips for California fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 31.7% of truck crashes here, more than Maryland; 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 St. Mary's County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-4 | 2 |
| SR-234 | 1 |
| SR-235 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (St. Mary's County) |
|---|---|
| Three Notch Rd | 101 |
| Point Lookout Rd | 52 |
| Budds Creek Rd | 13 |
| St Andrews Church Rd | 12 |
| Acrs Marked Off Road | 8 |
| Great Mills Rd | 7 |
| Hollywood Rd | 6 |
| Patuxent Beach Rd | 5 |
California at a glance
| Land area | 12.9 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 20619) | $119,432 |
| Median home value (ZIP 20619) | $378,900 |
Historical data: truck crashes in St. Mary's 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 | 14 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 10 | -30% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 24 | +158% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 34 | +37% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 14 a year in the 1990s and 34 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 1.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about California
How common are truck crashes in California?
367 truck crashes have been reported in St. Mary's County since 2015, with 8 deaths and 243 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in California?
Truck crashes in St. Mary's County peak in March, with 12.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in California?
14 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in St. Mary's County since 2015, 3.8% of all truck crashes.
How does California compare with Maryland for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 27.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in St. Mary's County, vs 49.3 for Maryland.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in California?
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.