Carolina Beach, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Carolina Beach: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Carolina Beach and New Hanover County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use New Hanover County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.9 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How New Hanover County compares with North Carolina
New Hanover County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where New Hanover County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | New Hanover County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.4 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 44% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.9 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 24% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 18% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.3% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.4% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 79% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.6% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 18% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.9% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 11.3% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 44% below the state |
New Hanover County sits below North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in New Hanover County: 1 in 23 crashes involve a garbage truck (41 since 2015), vs 2.6% across North Carolina.
Overview
Since 2015, 924 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in New Hanover County. They injured 500 people and killed 19.
That averages about one truck crash every 4 days in fully reported years.
Only 16 truck crashes were reported in Carolina Beach since 2015; patterns below come from New Hanover County as a whole.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 10.2% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (6.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.9% of truck crashes, vs 41.0% for North Carolina.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 9.7% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 0.4% 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 Carolina Beach happened on S 17th St (1) and SR-133 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 41 crashes, 4.4% of the total, against 2.6% across North Carolina.
Their busiest month is October, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.8, vs 1.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Carolina Beach fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in October; review collection routes for that month.
- Morning starts matter: 25.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than North Carolina.
- 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.
Crash reporting for 2025 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in New Hanover County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| S 17th St | 1 |
| SR-133 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (New Hanover County) |
|---|---|
| Market St | 54 |
| Carolina Beach Rd | 54 |
| S College Rd | 33 |
| S 17Th St | 17 |
| Oleander Dr | 14 |
| Shipyard Blvd | 13 |
| Eastwood Rd | 12 |
| Martin Luther King Jr | 12 |
Carolina Beach at a glance
| Population | 6,864 |
| Land area | 2.5 sq mi |
| Density | 2,799 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28428) | $93,241 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28428) | $564,878 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in New Hanover 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 | 50 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 62 | +23% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 84 | +37% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 71 | -16% | 2.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 50 a year in the 1990s and 71 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 2.0 a year in 2016–19, 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Carolina Beach
How common are truck crashes in Carolina Beach?
924 truck crashes have been reported in New Hanover County since 2015, with 19 deaths and 500 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Carolina Beach?
The worst month is March: 10.2% of truck crashes in New Hanover County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Carolina Beach?
Since 2015, New Hanover County has reported 41 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Carolina Beach compared with North Carolina?
Per 100,000 residents, New Hanover County has 34.4 truck crashes a year; North Carolina has 61.3.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Carolina Beach?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.