Turtle Lake, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Turtle Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Turtle Lake and Lake County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lake County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 138 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Lake County compares with Montana
Lake County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lake County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lake County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.3 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 47% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 7.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 1.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.50 | 0.34 | 0.49 | 1.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 19.8% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 50% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.6% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.7% | 20.6% | 13.8% | 19% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.0% | 54.3% | 41.9% | 15% below the state |
| After dark | 24.6% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 20% below the state |
Lake County sits below Montana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
Lake County at a glance: 1 in 63 crashes involve a garbage truck (2 since 2015), vs 0.9% across Montana.
Overview
Police reported 138 crashes involving commercial trucks in Lake County since 2015: 68 people were injured and 10 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 32 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Turtle Lake since 2015; patterns below come from Lake County as a whole.
85% of truck crash reports in Lake County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 14.5% of the yearly total, while March has the fewest (4.3%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 46.0% of truck crashes, vs 54.3% for Montana.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 11.6% of truck crashes.
19.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 39.4% across Montana.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Turtle Lake since 2015: US-93 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.4% share (Montana: 0.9%).
Route planning tips for Turtle Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 24.6% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Montana.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lake County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-93 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lake County) |
|---|---|
| US-93 | 3 |
| Mm 23.8 Us Highway 93 | 1 |
| Mm 48.2 Highway 93 | 1 |
| Mm 50.5 Us Hwy 93 | 1 |
| Mm48. 4 Hwy93 | 1 |
| Mm65.3 Hwy93 | 1 |
| Mm65.4 Us93 | 1 |
| Mm73.9 Us93 | 1 |
Turtle Lake at a glance
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59855) | $32,688 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lake 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 | — | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 14 | — | 1.5 |
| 2010s | 10 | -33% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 10 | +9% | 1.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 14 a year in the 2000s and 10 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Turtle Lake
How many truck crashes happen in Turtle Lake?
Since 2015, 138 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Lake County (68 injured, 10 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Turtle Lake?
The worst month is December: 14.5% of truck crashes in Lake County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Turtle Lake?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lake County since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Turtle Lake compare with Montana?
Lake County records 34.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 64.3 across Montana.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Turtle Lake?
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.