North Topsail Beach, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in North Topsail Beach: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in North Topsail Beach and Onslow County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Onslow County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.3 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Onslow County compares with North Carolina
Onslow County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Onslow County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Onslow County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 26.7 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 56% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 48% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.67 | 0.66 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 6.7% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.0% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 44% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.1% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.2% | 10.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 16.5% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 19% below the state |
Compared with North Carolina, Onslow County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Onslow County: 1 in 15 crashes involve a garbage truck (47 since 2015), vs 2.6% across North Carolina.
Overview
Police reported 682 crashes involving commercial trucks in Onslow County since 2015: 451 people were injured and 8 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 6 days.
With 19 truck crashes reported in North Topsail Beach since 2015, this page uses Onslow County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (9.5% of the year) and are lowest in August (6.2%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.0% of truck crashes, against 41.0% across North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 9.1% of truck crashes.
1.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 1.7% across North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of North Topsail Beach since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-210 (2) and US-17 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 47 of the truck crashes here, or 6.9%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in December (13% of them).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for North Topsail Beach fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Onslow County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-210 | 2 |
| US-17 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Onslow County) |
|---|---|
| Gum Branch Rd | 15 |
| US-17 | 6 |
| Henderson Dr | 4 |
| Western Blvd | 4 |
| Piney Green Rd | 3 |
| Bell Fork Rd | 2 |
| Commerce Rd | 2 |
| Franck Street | 2 |
North Topsail Beach at a glance
| Population | 1,081 |
| Land area | 6.2 sq mi |
| Density | 174 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28460) | $88,908 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28460) | $343,857 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Onslow 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 | 31 | — | 3.0 |
| 2000s | 41 | +31% | 2.5 |
| 2010s | 60 | +46% | 1.2 |
| 2020s | 50 | -16% | 0.8 |
In the 1990s about 31 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 50. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about North Topsail Beach
How many truck accidents are there in North Topsail Beach?
Since 2015, 682 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Onslow County (451 injured, 8 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in North Topsail Beach?
October has the most truck crashes in Onslow County, 9.5% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in North Topsail Beach?
Since 2015, Onslow County has reported 47 garbage-truck crashes, or 6.9% of its truck crashes.
How does North Topsail Beach compare with North Carolina for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 26.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Onslow County, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in North Topsail Beach?
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.