Wrightsville Beach, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wrightsville Beach: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Wrightsville 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 |
Compared with North Carolina, New Hanover County is lower 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).
New Hanover County at a glance: 1 in 23 crashes involve a garbage truck (41 since 2015), vs 2.6% across North Carolina.
Overview
Police reported 924 crashes involving commercial trucks in New Hanover County since 2015: 500 people were injured and 19 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 4 days.
Wrightsville Beach had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use New Hanover County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in March (10.2% of the year) and are lowest in February (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.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.4% of truck crashes, compared with 1.7% in North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Wrightsville Beach since 2015: Ssr-1336 Sidbury Rd (2), US-17 (2), US-74 (2), Covil Ave (1) and Morningside Dr (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
41 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.4% share (North Carolina: 2.6%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in October (12%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.8, vs 1.9 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Wrightsville Beach fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in New Hanover County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at October schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 25.9% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above North Carolina; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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) |
|---|---|
| Ssr-1336 Sidbury Rd | 2 |
| US-17 | 2 |
| US-74 | 2 |
| Covil Ave | 1 |
| Morningside Dr | 1 |
| S 17th St | 1 |
| SR-133 | 1 |
| Ssr-1175 N Kerr Ave | 1 |
| Ssr-1302 N 23rd St | 1 |
| Ssr-2048 Gordon Rd | 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 |
Wrightsville Beach at a glance
| Population | 2,411 |
| Land area | 1.4 sq mi |
| Density | 1,730 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28480) | $172,500 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28480) | $1,139,276 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 50 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 71. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 2.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wrightsville Beach
How many truck accidents are there in Wrightsville Beach?
Since 2015, 924 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in New Hanover County (500 injured, 19 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Wrightsville Beach?
Truck crashes in New Hanover County peak in March, with 10.2% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Wrightsville Beach?
41 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in New Hanover County since 2015, 4.4% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Wrightsville Beach compare with North Carolina?
The yearly rate is 34.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in New Hanover County, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Wrightsville 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.