Liberal, MO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Liberal: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Liberal and Barton County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Barton County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 201 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Barton County compares with Missouri
Barton County against Missouri and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Barton County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Barton County | Missouri | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 146.6 | 85.9 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.4 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.33 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 25% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 27% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.2% | 7.2% | 6.2% | 41% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 22.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.5% | 10.7% | 13.8% | 21% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.9% | 40.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.3% | 24.7% | 24.8% | same |
Barton County sits below Missouri on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Missouri on crashes per 100k residents / yr and deaths per 100 crashes.
What stands out in Barton County: 7.4 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.7 across Missouri.
Overview
Since 2015, 201 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Barton County. They injured 67 people and killed 16.
That averages about one truck crash every 21 days in fully reported years.
Liberal had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Barton County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is September with 16.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is June at 5.0%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.9% of truck crashes, vs 40.7% for Missouri.
More truck crashes happen at 11 am–12 pm than at any other hour (9.5%).
4.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 7.2% across Missouri.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Liberal since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-43 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 1.5%, compared with 2.2% in Missouri.
Route planning tips for Liberal fleets
- Plan September schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Barton County.
- 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 Barton County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-43 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Barton County) |
|---|---|
| Is 49 | 91 |
| Mo 126 | 29 |
| US-160 | 25 |
| Mo 43 | 12 |
| Rt T | 6 |
| Cst 12Th St | 6 |
| Rt Ee | 3 |
| Rt M | 3 |
Liberal at a glance
| Population | 634 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 751 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 64762) | $58,750 |
| Median home value (ZIP 64762) | $101,398 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Barton 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 | 19 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 12 | -39% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 12 | +4% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 18 | +50% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 19 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 18. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Liberal
How common are truck crashes in Liberal?
201 truck crashes have been reported in Barton County since 2015, with 16 deaths and 67 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Liberal?
The worst month is September: 16.4% of truck crashes in Barton County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Liberal?
Garbage trucks were involved in 3 reported crashes in Barton County since 2015 (1.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Liberal compared with Missouri?
Barton County records 146.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 85.9 across Missouri.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Liberal?
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.