East Lansing, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in East Lansing: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in East Lansing and Ingham County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ingham County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Ingham County compares with Michigan
Ingham County against Michigan and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Ingham County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Ingham County | Michigan | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 38.4 | 52.4 | 49.7 | 27% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 14% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.25 | 0.30 | 0.49 | 17% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.6% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.5% | 17.7% | 6.2% | 13% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 29.5% | 25.5% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.3% | 21.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.6% | 44.4% | 41.9% | 8% below the state |
| After dark | 20.2% | 20.7% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Michigan, Ingham County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Ingham County at a glance: 1 in 22 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.6%, vs 3.2% in Michigan.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,324 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Ingham County. They injured 357 people and killed 24.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 3 days.
With 141 truck crashes reported in East Lansing since 2015, this page uses Ingham County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 10.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 6.1%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.6% of truck crashes, vs 44.4% for Michigan.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 9.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 15.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Michigan: 17.7%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of East Lansing since 2015 were spread across roads: I-96 (2), SR-96 (2), US-127 (2), College Rd (1) and I-496 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 58 of the truck crashes here, or 4.4%, compared with 3.2% in Michigan.
Their busiest month is August, with 16% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 1.8 deaths compared with 1.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for East Lansing fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in August; review collection routes for that month.
- Morning starts matter: 29.5% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Michigan.
- 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 Ingham County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-96 | 2 |
| SR-96 | 2 |
| US-127 | 2 |
| College Rd | 1 |
| I-496 | 1 |
| I-69 | 1 |
| N Canal Rd | 1 |
| SR-27 | 1 |
| SR-99 | 1 |
| Shaw Ln | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Ingham County) |
|---|---|
| I-96 | 131 |
| US-127 | 79 |
| S Us 127 | 71 |
| Grand River | 61 |
| Cedar | 60 |
| N Us 127 | 57 |
| Martin Luther King Jr | 39 |
| Saginaw | 34 |
East Lansing at a glance
| Population | 48,964 |
| Land area | 13.4 sq mi |
| Density | 3,646 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ingham 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 | 65 | — | 1.5 |
| 2000s | 86 | +32% | 1.9 |
| 2010s | 76 | -11% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 118 | +54% | 1.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 65 to 118. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about East Lansing
How common are truck crashes in East Lansing?
Since 2015, 1,324 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Ingham County (357 injured, 24 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in East Lansing?
Truck crashes in Ingham County peak in October, with 10.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in East Lansing?
Since 2015, Ingham County has reported 58 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.4% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in East Lansing compare with Michigan?
Ingham County records 38.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 52.4 across Michigan.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in East Lansing?
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.