Watha, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Watha: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Watha and Pender County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pender County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
11 of 535 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pender County compares with North Carolina
Pender County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pender County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | Pender County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.5 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.2 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.74 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.1% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 19% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.8% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 52% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.3% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 7% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.1% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 23% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.0% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.3% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Compared with North Carolina, Pender County is lower on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Watha: US-117 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Watha: 4 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 535 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Pender County. They injured 392 people and killed 23.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 8 days.
Watha had 3 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Pender County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 10.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is July at 7.1%.
November through March accounts for 41.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.0% in North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 10.5% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.8% of truck crashes, compared with 1.7% in North Carolina.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Watha is US-117, with 4 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-53 (2), I-40 (1) and SR-11 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 11 crashes, 2.1% of the total, against 2.6% across North Carolina.
Route planning tips for Watha fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use US-117, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Pender County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-117 | 4 |
| SR-53 | 2 |
| I-40 | 1 |
| SR-11 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pender County) |
|---|---|
| Nc Hwy 53 | 3 |
| Private Property | 3 |
| Alderman St | 2 |
| E Bridgers St | 2 |
| Phoenix Travel Mart | 2 |
| W Wilmington St | 2 |
| Berkshire Dr. | 1 |
| Coastal Car Care Pva | 1 |
Watha at a glance
| Population | 221 |
| Land area | 1.4 sq mi |
| Density | 162 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28478) | $73,388 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28478) | $171,453 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pender 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 | 27 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 29 | +8% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 43 | +47% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 43 | +0% | 1.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 27 a year in the 1990s and 43 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.0 a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Watha
How common are truck crashes in Watha?
Pender County has had 535 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 392 people and killing 23.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Watha?
NHTSA data shows US-117 with 4 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Watha since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Watha?
The worst month is August: 10.1% of truck crashes in Pender County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Watha?
Since 2015, Pender County has reported 11 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.1% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Watha compare with North Carolina?
Pender County records 68.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.3 across North Carolina.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Watha?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
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.