Bear Lake, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bear Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bear Lake and Kalkaska County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kalkaska County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 121 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Kalkaska County compares with Michigan
Kalkaska County against Michigan and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kalkaska County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kalkaska County | Michigan | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 53.2 | 52.4 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.4 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.0× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.37 | 0.30 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.8% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 15% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.5% | 17.7% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 25.5% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 31.2% | 21.9% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 52.3% | 44.4% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 26.6% | 20.7% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with Michigan, Kalkaska County is lower on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice.
Kalkaska County at a glance: 6.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 2.1 in Michigan.
Overview
Police reported 121 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kalkaska County since 2015: 44 people were injured and 7 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 37 days in fully reported years.
Bear Lake had 9 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Kalkaska County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (13.2% of the year) and are lowest in October (2.5%).
November through March accounts for 52.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 44.4% in Michigan.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 9.1% of truck crashes.
27.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 17.7% across Michigan.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Bear Lake happened on CR-571 (1) and SR-72 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.3% share (Michigan: 3.2%).
Route planning tips for Bear Lake fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Kalkaska County.
- 27.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Michigan; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Kalkaska County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-571 | 1 |
| SR-72 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kalkaska County) |
|---|---|
| US-131 | 36 |
| Cedar | 9 |
| Boardman | 4 |
| Mile | 4 |
| County Road 571 | 3 |
| County Road 612 | 2 |
| Ingersoll | 2 |
| Rapid City | 2 |
Bear Lake at a glance
| Population | 698 |
| Land area | 5.8 sq mi |
| Density | 121 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 49646) | $64,863 |
| Median home value (ZIP 49646) | $181,523 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kalkaska 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 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 8 | +9% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 7 | -19% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 12 | +69% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 12. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bear Lake
How common are truck crashes in Bear Lake?
Since 2015, 121 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Kalkaska County (44 injured, 7 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Bear Lake?
January has the most truck crashes in Kalkaska County, 13.2% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Bear Lake?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kalkaska County since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
How does Bear Lake compare with Michigan for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 53.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Kalkaska County, vs 52.4 for Michigan.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Bear Lake?
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.