Zap, ND truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Zap: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Zap and Mercer County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Mercer County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 51 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Mercer County compares with North Dakota
Mercer County against North Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Mercer County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Mercer County | North Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 52.3 | 73.9 | 49.7 | 29% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.33 | 0.49 | 1.4× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 0.9% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.4% | 34.4% | 6.2% | 70% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.8% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 8% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 6.2% | 16.2% | 13.8% | 61% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 22.9% | 47.2% | 41.9% | 51% below the state |
| After dark | 20.8% | 24.7% | 24.8% | 16% below the state |
Compared with North Dakota, Mercer County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: injuries per crash.
What stands out in Mercer County: August worst month: 21.6% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 51 crashes involving commercial trucks in Mercer County since 2015: 24 people were injured and 2 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 84 days.
Zap had 1 reported truck crash since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Mercer County numbers.
92% of truck crash reports in Mercer County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 21.6% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 22.9% of truck crashes, against 47.2% across North Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (11.8%).
Road surface: 10.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (North Dakota: 34.4%).
Where crashes happen
No fatal crash involving a large truck has a recorded location within 10 miles of Zap since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Mercer County.
Route planning tips for Zap fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Mercer County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Mercer County) |
|---|---|
| 3Rd St Sw | 2 |
| 58Th Ave Nw | 2 |
| Fifth St | 1 |
| Main | 1 |
| Park Ave | 1 |
Zap at a glance
| Population | 226 |
| Land area | 1.0 sq mi |
| Density | 222 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 58580) | $110,347 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Mercer 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 | 2 | — | 0.0 |
| 2000s | 1 | -59% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 4 | +514% | 0.0 |
| 2020s | 4 | -15% | 0.4 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 4 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.0 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Zap
How common are truck crashes in Zap?
Since 2015, 51 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Mercer County (24 injured, 2 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Zap?
Truck crashes in Mercer County peak in August, with 21.6% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Zap?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Mercer County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Zap compare with North Dakota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 52.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Mercer County, vs 73.9 for North Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Zap?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.