Cozad, NE truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cozad: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cozad and Dawson County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Dawson County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 501 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Dawson County compares with Nebraska
Dawson County against Nebraska and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Dawson County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Dawson County | Nebraska | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 168.1 | 60.7 | 49.7 | 2.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.60 | 0.57 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.4% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 76% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.0% | 16.7% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.7% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 17% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.4% | 20.4% | 13.8% | 24% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.5% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 29.5% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Nebraska, Dawson County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
What stands out in Dawson County: 1 in 227 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 0.4%, vs 1.8% in Nebraska.
Overview
Police reported 501 crashes involving commercial trucks in Dawson County since 2015: 298 people were injured and 21 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 9 days in fully reported years.
Only 13 truck crashes were reported in Cozad since 2015; patterns below come from Dawson County as a whole.
73% of truck crash reports in Dawson County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
July has the most truck crashes, 10.8% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (5.6%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 42.5% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Nebraska.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out with 7.9% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 20.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Nebraska: 16.7%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Cozad is I-80, with 6 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by US-30 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 0.4%, compared with 1.8% in Nebraska.
Route planning tips for Cozad fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Dawson County.
- Look at alternatives to I-80 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- With 20.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Nebraska), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Dawson County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 6 |
| US-30 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Dawson County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 168 |
| US-283 | 8 |
| US-30 | 5 |
| 080 /237.020/I80 W Of Us283-S Of Lexington | 4 |
| 080 /252.320/I80 E Of Cr 446-Se Of Overton | 4 |
| 080 /254.980/I80 E Of Cr 450-Se Of Overton | 4 |
| Marker 233, I- 80 | 4 |
| Plum Creek Pkwy | 4 |
Cozad at a glance
| Population | 3,945 |
| Land area | 2.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1,508 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 69130) | $63,388 |
| Median home value (ZIP 69130) | $152,276 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Dawson 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 | 40 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 35 | -12% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 36 | +3% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 45 | +25% | 1.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 40 to 45. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cozad
How many truck accidents are there in Cozad?
Since 2015, 501 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Dawson County (298 injured, 21 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Cozad?
I-80 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Cozad since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Cozad?
Truck crashes in Dawson County peak in July, with 10.8% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Cozad?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2 reported crashes in Dawson County since 2015 (0.4% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Cozad compare with Nebraska?
Per 100,000 residents, Dawson County has 168.1 truck crashes a year; Nebraska has 60.7.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Cozad?
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.