Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County 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). It runs above Michigan on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Kalkaska County: 6.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 2.1 in Michigan.
Overview
Since 2015, 121 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kalkaska County. They injured 44 people and killed 7.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 37 days.
Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County had 0 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
January has the most truck crashes, 13.2% of the yearly total, while October has the fewest (2.5%).
November through March accounts for 52.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 44.4% in Michigan.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 9.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 27.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Michigan: 17.7%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Blue Lake since 2015: CR-571 (1) and SR-72 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
4 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.3% share (Michigan: 3.2%).
Route planning tips for Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- With 27.5% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Michigan), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 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 |
Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County at a glance
| Population | 410 |
| Land area | 35.0 sq mi |
| Density | 12 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 49659) | $62,308 |
| Median home value (ZIP 49659) | $163,161 |
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. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County
How common are truck crashes in Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County?
121 truck crashes have been reported in Kalkaska County since 2015, with 7 deaths and 44 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County?
The worst month is January: 13.2% of truck crashes in Kalkaska County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kalkaska County since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
How does Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County 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 Blue Lake Township, Kalkaska County?
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.