Three Lakes, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Three Lakes: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Three Lakes 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 |
Redwood County sits below Minnesota on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Redwood County: 7.8 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 3.0 across Minnesota.
Overview
Police reported 134 crashes involving commercial trucks in Redwood County since 2015: 77 people were injured and 11 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 31 days in fully reported years.
With 7 truck crashes reported in Three Lakes since 2015, this page uses Redwood County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
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.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 13.4% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 20.2% of truck crashes, compared with 25.6% in Minnesota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Three Lakes happened on SR-68 (1), US-71 (1) and Us-Mn19 (1); no road leads clearly.
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 Three Lakes fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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) |
|---|---|
| SR-68 | 1 |
| US-71 | 1 |
| Us-Mn19 | 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 |
Three Lakes at a glance
| Population | 204 |
| Land area | 35.5 sq mi |
| Density | 6 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56224) | $71,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56224) | $116,947 |
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. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Three Lakes
How common are truck crashes in Three Lakes?
134 truck crashes have been reported in Redwood County since 2015, with 11 deaths and 77 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Three Lakes?
The worst month is October: 12.7% of truck crashes in Redwood County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Three Lakes?
Since 2015, Redwood County has reported 2 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.5% of its truck crashes.
How does Three Lakes compare with Minnesota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 76.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Redwood County, vs 39.0 for Minnesota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Three Lakes?
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.