Charlestown, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Charlestown: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Charlestown and Redwood County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Redwood County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 134 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Redwood County compares with Minnesota
Redwood County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Redwood County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Redwood County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 76.9 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 2.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.8 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.59 | 0.37 | 0.49 | 1.6× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 72% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.2% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 21% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.9% | 27.0% | 23.7% | 22% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.3% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 51% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 34.1% | 46.2% | 41.9% | 26% below the state |
| After dark | 13.2% | 20.3% | 24.8% | 35% below the state |
Compared with Minnesota, Redwood County is lower on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Minnesota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Redwood County: 7.8 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Minnesota: 3.0).
Overview
Since 2015, 134 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Redwood County. They injured 77 people and killed 11.
That averages about one truck crash every 31 days in fully reported years.
Only 6 truck crashes were reported in Charlestown since 2015; patterns below come from Redwood County as a whole.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 12.7% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (4.5%).
November through March accounts for 34.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 46.2% in Minnesota.
By time of day, 3–4 pm stands out with 13.4% of truck crashes.
20.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 25.6% across Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
US-71 leads within 10 miles of Charlestown with 2 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come CR-4 (1), CR-5 (1) and US-14 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 1.5%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Route planning tips for Charlestown fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along US-71; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Redwood County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-71 | 2 |
| CR-4 | 1 |
| CR-5 | 1 |
| US-14 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Redwood County) |
|---|---|
| Mnth 19 | 26 |
| Usth 71 | 24 |
| Mnth 68 | 9 |
| Hwy | 8 |
| Usth 14 | 7 |
| Csah 6 | 5 |
| Csah 2 | 4 |
| Csah 4 | 4 |
Charlestown at a glance
| Population | 176 |
| Land area | 33.7 sq mi |
| Density | 5 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56083) | $69,167 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56083) | $130,897 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Redwood 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 | 7 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 8 | +18% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 11 | +38% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 12 | +11% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 7 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 12. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Charlestown
How many truck accidents are there in Charlestown?
Since 2015, 134 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Redwood County (77 injured, 11 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Charlestown?
NHTSA data shows US-71 with 2 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Charlestown since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Charlestown?
October has the most truck crashes in Redwood County, 12.7% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Charlestown?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Redwood County since 2015, 1.5% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Charlestown compared with Minnesota?
Redwood County records 76.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 39.0 across Minnesota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Charlestown?
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.