Benton, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Benton: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Benton and Kennebec County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kennebec County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.9 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kennebec County compares with Maine
Kennebec County against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kennebec County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kennebec County | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.8 | 57.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 27% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.55 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.4% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 19.7% | 20.2% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.3% | 26.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.4% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.9% | 48.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.2% | 19.1% | 24.8% | same |
Kennebec County sits below Maine on deaths per 100 crashes. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Kennebec County: January the month with the most truck crashes: 13.1% of the year's total.
Overview
Police reported 854 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kennebec County since 2015: 471 people were injured and 20 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 5 days.
Only 23 truck crashes were reported in Benton since 2015; patterns below come from Kennebec County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.1% of the year) and are lowest in April (4.9%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 49.9% of truck crashes, vs 48.2% for Maine.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (10.0%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 19.7% of truck crashes, compared with 20.2% in Maine.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Benton happened on SR-104 (3) and SR-139 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 41 crashes, 4.8% of the total, against 3.4% across Maine.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (20%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 1.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Benton fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Waste haulers: January is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Kennebec County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Kennebec County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-104 | 3 |
| SR-139 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kennebec County) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 241 |
| Main St | 32 |
| Water St | 22 |
| Western Ave | 21 |
| Kennedy Memorial Dr | 20 |
| US-202 | 17 |
| I-295 | 15 |
| N Belfast Ave | 13 |
Benton at a glance
| Population | 2,806 |
| Land area | 28.4 sq mi |
| Density | 99 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 04901) | $57,403 |
| Median home value (ZIP 04901) | $204,717 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kennebec 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 | 58 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 66 | +13% | 1.6 |
| 2010s | 62 | -6% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 70 | +13% | 1.8 |
In the 1990s about 58 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 70. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Benton
How common are truck crashes in Benton?
Kennebec County has had 854 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 471 people and killing 20.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Benton?
The worst month is January: 13.1% of truck crashes in Kennebec County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Benton?
Garbage trucks were involved in 41 reported crashes in Kennebec County since 2015 (4.8% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Benton compared with Maine?
Kennebec County records 55.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.4 across Maine.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Benton?
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.