Cape Elizabeth, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cape Elizabeth: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cape Elizabeth and Cumberland County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cumberland County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.4 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Cumberland County compares with Maine
Cumberland County against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cumberland County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cumberland County | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 54.1 | 57.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 46% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.7% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.1% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 30% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.5% | 26.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.0% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 9% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.4% | 48.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.0% | 19.1% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Maine, Cumberland County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share.
The headline for Cumberland County: October garbage-truck crashes peak in October (14% of the year's total).
Overview
Police reported 1,983 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cumberland County since 2015: 1,076 people were injured and 29 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
With 10 truck crashes reported in Cape Elizabeth since 2015, this page uses Cumberland County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is December with 9.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.6%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.4% of truck crashes, against 48.2% across Maine.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.0% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Maine: 20.2%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cape Elizabeth since 2015 were spread across roads: District Rd (1), I-95 (1) and SR-22 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 77 crashes, 3.9% of the total, against 3.4% across Maine.
Their busiest month is October, with 14% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 1.4, vs 1.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Cape Elizabeth fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Cumberland County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at October schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Cumberland County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| District Rd | 1 |
| I-95 | 1 |
| SR-22 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cumberland County) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 282 |
| I-295 | 212 |
| Roosevelt Trl | 69 |
| Main St | 52 |
| SR-1 | 42 |
| Congress St | 33 |
| Forest Av | 33 |
| US-1 | 32 |
Cape Elizabeth at a glance
| Population | 9,688 |
| Land area | 14.9 sq mi |
| Density | 652 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04107) | $146,054 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04107) | $731,566 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cumberland 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 | 114 | — | 2.2 |
| 2000s | 146 | +28% | 2.4 |
| 2010s | 160 | +9% | 2.4 |
| 2020s | 159 | -0% | 1.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 114 a year in the 1990s and 159 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 3.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cape Elizabeth
How common are truck crashes in Cape Elizabeth?
1,983 truck crashes have been reported in Cumberland County since 2015, with 29 deaths and 1,076 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cape Elizabeth?
The worst month is December: 9.9% of truck crashes in Cumberland County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Cape Elizabeth?
Since 2015, Cumberland County has reported 77 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.9% of its truck crashes.
How does Cape Elizabeth compare with Maine for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 54.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cumberland County, vs 57.4 for Maine.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cape Elizabeth?
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.