West Kootenai, MT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in West Kootenai: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in West Kootenai and Lincoln County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lincoln County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 90 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Lincoln County compares with Montana
Lincoln County against Montana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lincoln County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lincoln County | Montana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.2 | 64.3 | 49.7 | 48% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 34% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 2.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 29.6% | 39.4% | 6.2% | 25% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.9% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 28.4% | 20.6% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.4% | 54.3% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 18.5% | 30.8% | 24.8% | 40% below the state |
Compared with Montana, Lincoln County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Montana on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Lincoln County: 1 in 40 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.5%, against 0.9% for Montana.
Overview
Police reported 90 crashes involving commercial trucks in Lincoln County since 2015: 26 people were injured and 3 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 50 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in West Kootenai since 2015, this page uses Lincoln County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
82% of truck crash reports in Lincoln County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in June (13.3% of the year) and are lowest in April (1.1%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 49.4% of truck crashes, vs 54.3% for Montana.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 12.2% of truck crashes.
29.6% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 39.4% across Montana.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of West Kootenai.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 2 crashes, 2.2% of the total, against 0.9% across Montana.
Route planning tips for West Kootenai fleets
- Plan June schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Lincoln County.
- 25.9% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Montana; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Lincoln County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lincoln County) |
|---|---|
| Blue Moutain Rd | 1 |
| Flat/Dry | 1 |
| Mm 39.1 Us-2 | 1 |
| Mm16.5 Mt 56 | 1 |
| Mm16.9 Highway 37 (Sb) | 1 |
| Mm18.8 Us Highway 2 | 1 |
| Mm40.0 Highway 2 (Wb) | 1 |
| Mm48.5 Hwy37 | 1 |
West Kootenai at a glance
| Land area | 16.1 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 59930) | $61,923 |
| Median home value (ZIP 59930) | $285,924 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lincoln 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 | — | — | 0.7 |
| 2000s | 9 | — | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 5 | -45% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 9 | +77% | 0.2 |
In the 2000s about 9 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 9. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about West Kootenai
How common are truck crashes in West Kootenai?
Lincoln County has had 90 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 26 people and killing 3.
When do most truck crashes happen in West Kootenai?
Truck crashes in Lincoln County peak in June, with 13.3% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in West Kootenai?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lincoln County since 2015, 2.2% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in West Kootenai compare with Montana?
Lincoln County records 33.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 64.3 across Montana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in West Kootenai?
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.