Fontana Dam, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Fontana Dam: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Fontana Dam and Graham County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Graham County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 21 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Graham County compares with North Carolina
Graham County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Graham County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Graham County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.3 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 62% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 14.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 5.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 35% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.8% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 2.8× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 14.3% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 40% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.8% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 55% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.9% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 9.5% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 53% below the state |
Graham County sits below North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
Graham County at a glance: 14.3 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 2.5 in North Carolina.
Overview
Police reported 21 crashes involving commercial trucks in Graham County since 2015: 9 people were injured and 3 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 191 days.
Fontana Dam had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Graham County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (19.0% of the year) and are lowest in February (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.9% of truck crashes, against 41.0% across North Carolina.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 14.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 4.8% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Fontana Dam happened on SR-143 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Graham County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Fontana Dam fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 4.8% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above North Carolina), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Graham County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-143 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Graham County) |
|---|---|
| Sweetwater Rd | 1 |
Fontana Dam at a glance
| Population | 11 |
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Density | 18 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28733) | $150,300 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Graham 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 | 2 | — | 0.1 |
| 2000s | 3 | +75% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 2 | -25% | 0.1 |
| 2020s | 1 | -44% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 1 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Fontana Dam
How common are truck crashes in Fontana Dam?
21 truck crashes have been reported in Graham County since 2015, with 3 deaths and 9 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Fontana Dam?
Truck crashes in Graham County peak in January, with 19.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Fontana Dam?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Graham County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Fontana Dam compare with North Carolina?
Graham County records 23.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Fontana Dam?
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.