Lake Santeetlah, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lake Santeetlah: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lake Santeetlah 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.
What stands out in Graham County: 14.3 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.5 across North Carolina.
Overview
Since 2015, 21 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Graham County. They injured 9 people and killed 3.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 191 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Lake Santeetlah since 2015; patterns below come from Graham County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (19.0% of the year) and are lowest in February (0.0%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.9% of truck crashes, vs 41.0% for North Carolina.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 14.3% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 4.8% of truck crashes, compared with 1.7% in North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Lake Santeetlah happened on SR-143 (2) and US-129 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Graham County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Lake Santeetlah fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Graham County.
- 4.8% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above North Carolina; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 | 2 |
| US-129 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Graham County) |
|---|---|
| Sweetwater Rd | 1 |
Lake Santeetlah at a glance
| Population | 41 |
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Density | 211 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28771) | $49,407 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28771) | $182,758 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 2 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 1. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lake Santeetlah
How common are truck crashes in Lake Santeetlah?
Graham County has had 21 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 9 people and killing 3.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Lake Santeetlah?
Truck crashes in Graham County peak in January, with 19.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Lake Santeetlah?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Graham County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Lake Santeetlah compared with North Carolina?
Graham County records 23.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Lake Santeetlah?
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.