Blowing Rock, NC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Blowing Rock: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Blowing Rock and Watauga County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Watauga County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 257 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Watauga County compares with North Carolina
Watauga County against North Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Watauga County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Watauga County | North Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.8 | 61.3 | 49.7 | 29% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.66 | 0.49 | 32% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.3% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 11% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.6% | 1.7% | 6.2% | 6.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.8% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.4% | 10.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.1% | 41.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 9.7% | 20.4% | 24.8% | 53% below the state |
Watauga County sits below North Carolina on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above North Carolina on on snow, slush or ice, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Watauga County: 10.6% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Overview
Since 2015, 257 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Watauga County. They injured 119 people and killed 7.
That averages about one truck crash every 15 days in fully reported years.
Only 18 truck crashes were reported in Blowing Rock since 2015; patterns below come from Watauga County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in November (10.1% of the year) and are lowest in September (5.4%).
November through March accounts for 40.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.0% in North Carolina.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 11.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 10.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Carolina: 1.7%).
Where crashes happen
US-321 leads within 10 miles of Blowing Rock with 2 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come E King St (1), SR-105 (1) and SR-194 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 5 of the truck crashes here, or 1.9%, compared with 2.6% in North Carolina.
Route planning tips for Blowing Rock fleets
- Plan November schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Watauga County.
- Look at alternatives to US-321 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 25.8% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than North Carolina.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 10.6% of truck crashes here, more than North Carolina; schedule winter checks early.
- 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.
Reporting was incomplete in 2022 and 2024, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Watauga County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-321 | 2 |
| E King St | 1 |
| SR-105 | 1 |
| SR-194 | 1 |
| Ssr-1529 Blackberry Rd | 1 |
| US-421 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Watauga County) |
|---|---|
| Blowing Rock Rd | 16 |
| Hwy 105 Ext | 9 |
| E King St | 7 |
| Nc 105 | 3 |
| US-421 | 3 |
| W King St | 3 |
| Chestnut Dr | 2 |
| Reynolds Parkway | 2 |
Blowing Rock at a glance
| Population | 1,336 |
| Land area | 3.2 sq mi |
| Density | 412 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 28605) | $76,477 |
| Median home value (ZIP 28605) | $529,661 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Watauga 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 | 21 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 23 | +13% | 1.0 |
| 2010s | 24 | +4% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 20 | -17% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 21 to 20. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Blowing Rock
How many truck accidents are there in Blowing Rock?
257 truck crashes have been reported in Watauga County since 2015, with 7 deaths and 119 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Blowing Rock?
Since 2015, US-321 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Blowing Rock: 2.
When do most truck crashes happen in Blowing Rock?
November has the most truck crashes in Watauga County, 10.1% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Blowing Rock?
5 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Watauga County since 2015, 1.9% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Blowing Rock compared with North Carolina?
The yearly rate is 43.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Watauga County, vs 61.3 for North Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Blowing Rock?
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 2022 and 2024; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.