Helena, MN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Helena: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Helena and Scott County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Scott County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Scott County compares with Minnesota
Scott County against Minnesota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Scott County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Scott County | Minnesota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.1 | 39.0 | 49.7 | 15% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 53% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.37 | 0.37 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 22.9% | 25.6% | 6.2% | 11% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.9% | 27.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.1% | 19.1% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.6% | 46.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.7% | 20.3% | 24.8% | same |
Scott County sits below Minnesota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
Scott County at a glance: 1.4 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Minnesota: 3.0).
Overview
Since 2015, 625 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Scott County. They injured 248 people and killed 10.
That averages about one truck crash every 7 days in fully reported years.
With 5 truck crashes reported in Helena since 2015, this page uses Scott County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 11.4% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (5.9%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 46.6% of truck crashes, vs 46.2% for Minnesota.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (7.7%).
Road surface: 22.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Minnesota: 25.6%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Helena since 2015: SR-19 (1) and US-169 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 21 of the truck crashes here, or 3.4%, compared with 2.8% in Minnesota.
Their busiest month is February, with 24% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 5.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Helena fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: February is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Scott County.
- 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 Scott County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-19 | 1 |
| US-169 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Scott County) |
|---|---|
| Usth 169 | 154 |
| Mnth 13 | 45 |
| I-35 | 31 |
| Csah 101 | 16 |
| Hwy | 15 |
| Mnth 101 | 13 |
| 1St Ave | 12 |
| Stagecoach Rd | 8 |
Helena at a glance
| Population | 1,796 |
| Land area | 32.7 sq mi |
| Density | 55 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 56071) | $115,690 |
| Median home value (ZIP 56071) | $397,773 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Scott 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 | 15 | — | 2.3 |
| 2000s | 51 | +243% | 1.4 |
| 2010s | 49 | -4% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 51 | +4% | 1.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 15 to 51. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Helena
How many truck accidents are there in Helena?
Scott County has had 625 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 248 people and killing 10.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Helena?
The worst month is December: 11.4% of truck crashes in Scott County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Helena?
Since 2015, Scott County has reported 21 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Helena compared with Minnesota?
Per 100,000 residents, Scott County has 33.1 truck crashes a year; Minnesota has 39.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Helena?
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.