Bristol, ME truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bristol: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bristol and Lincoln County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lincoln County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9 of 187 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Lincoln County compares with Maine
Lincoln County against Maine and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lincoln County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lincoln County | Maine | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.6 | 57.4 | 49.7 | 24% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.3× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.6% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.1% | 20.2% | 6.2% | 15% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 30.9% | 26.5% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.9% | 20.8% | 13.8% | 29% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.1% | 48.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 10.3% | 19.1% | 24.8% | 46% below the state |
Lincoln County has lower values than Maine for crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above Maine on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Lincoln County at a glance: January worst month: 13.4% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Since 2015, 187 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lincoln County. They injured 109 people and killed 6.
That averages about one truck crash every 23 days in fully reported years.
With 6 truck crashes reported in Bristol since 2015, this page uses Lincoln County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.4% of the year) and are lowest in June (4.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 45.1% of truck crashes, vs 48.2% for Maine.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 11.8% of truck crashes.
17.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 20.2% across Maine.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Bristol happened on US-1B (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
9 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.8% share (Maine: 3.4%).
Route planning tips for Bristol fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 30.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Maine.
- 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 Lincoln County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-1B | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lincoln County) |
|---|---|
| Atlantic Hwy | 17 |
| Route One | 15 |
| Main St | 12 |
| Bath Rd | 12 |
| Boothbay Rd | 11 |
| Wiscasset Rd | 8 |
| Gardiner Rd | 5 |
| U.S. Highway 1 | 5 |
Bristol at a glance
| Population | 2,964 |
| Land area | 34.0 sq mi |
| Density | 87 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lincoln 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 | 8 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 13 | +60% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 14 | +10% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 15 | +7% | 0.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 15. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bristol
How many truck crashes happen in Bristol?
Lincoln County has had 187 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 109 people and killing 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Bristol?
The worst month is January: 13.4% of truck crashes in Lincoln County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Bristol?
Since 2015, Lincoln County has reported 9 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.8% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Bristol compared with Maine?
The yearly rate is 43.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Lincoln County, vs 57.4 for Maine.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Bristol?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.