New Bern, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in New Bern: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
7 of 269 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How New Bern compares with North Carolina
New Bern against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where New Bern stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | New Bern | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 67.0 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 20% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.69 | 0.66 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 8% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.8% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 54% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.2% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 7% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.3% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.7% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 8.7% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 57% below the state |
New Bern sits below North Carolina on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr.
The headline for New Bern: May worst month: 13.8% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 269 crashes involving commercial trucks in New Bern since 2015: 178 people were injured and 5 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 16 days.
When crashes happen
May has the most truck crashes, 13.8% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (4.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.7% of truck crashes, vs 41.0% for North Carolina.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (12.6%).
Road surface: 0.8% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
US-17 leads within 10 miles of New Bern with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-55 (2), Old Us 70 (1) and US-70 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
7 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.6% share (North Carolina: 2.6%).
Route planning tips for New Bern fleets
- Review driver schedules for May, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along US-17; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- 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 New Bern
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-17 | 4 |
| SR-55 | 2 |
| Old Us 70 | 1 |
| US-70 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (New Bern) |
|---|---|
| S Glenburnie Rd | 10 |
| Neuse Blvd | 6 |
| M L King Jr Blvd | 4 |
| Bosch Blvd | 3 |
| Howell Rd | 2 |
| Mlk | 2 |
| Tuscarora Landfill | 2 |
| Washington Post Rd | 2 |
New Bern at a glance
| Population | 34,218 |
| Land area | 28.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1,193 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in New Bern 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 | — | 1.8 |
| 2000s | 17 | +15% | 1.8 |
| 2010s | 24 | +42% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 20 | -15% | 1.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 15 a year in the 1990s and 20 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about New Bern
How many truck accidents are there in New Bern?
Since 2015, 269 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in New Bern (178 injured, 5 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in New Bern?
Since 2015, US-17 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of New Bern: 4.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in New Bern?
The worst month is May: 13.8% of truck crashes in New Bern happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in New Bern?
Garbage trucks were involved in 7 reported crashes in New Bern since 2015 (2.6% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in New Bern compared with North Carolina?
Per 100,000 residents, New Bern has 67.0 truck crashes a year; North Carolina has 61.3.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in New Bern?
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.