Elephant Butte, NM truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Elephant Butte: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Elephant Butte and Sierra County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Sierra County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 68 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Sierra County compares with New Mexico
Sierra County against New Mexico and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Sierra County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Sierra County | New Mexico | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 50.3 | 45.6 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 9.5 | 9.5 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.33 | 0.56 | 0.49 | 41% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.6% | 12.1% | 6.2% | 87% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.6% | 22.8% | 23.7% | 9% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.1% | 11.7% | 13.8% | 1.6× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.0% | 46.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 38.1% | 30.2% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with New Mexico, Sierra County is lower on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
What stands out in Sierra County: 0 crashes involve a garbage truck (0 since 2015), vs 0.4% across New Mexico.
Overview
Police reported 68 crashes involving commercial trucks in Sierra County since 2015: 23 people were injured and 6 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 64 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Elephant Butte since 2015; patterns below come from Sierra County as a whole.
32% of truck crash reports in Sierra County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (14.7% of the year) and are lowest in June (2.9%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 46.0% of truck crashes, vs 46.8% for New Mexico.
By time of day, 4–5 pm stands out with 8.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (New Mexico: 12.1%).
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Elephant Butte since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
FMCSA lists no garbage-truck crashes in Sierra County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Elephant Butte fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Sierra County.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Sierra 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 (Sierra County) |
|---|---|
| I-25 | 24 |
| I 25 North-Bd Fw | 2 |
| I 25 South Bd Fw | 2 |
| Interstate 25 Mm 53 | 2 |
| Interstate 25 South | 2 |
| Broadway | 1 |
| Broadway St | 1 |
| Clancy St & Mcadoo St | 1 |
Elephant Butte at a glance
| Population | 1,439 |
| Land area | 4.2 sq mi |
| Density | 344 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 87935) | $51,033 |
| Median home value (ZIP 87935) | $207,164 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Sierra 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 | 1 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 2 | +260% | 0.0 |
| 2010s | 4 | +50% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 6 | +71% | 0.8 |
In the 1990s about 1 truck crash a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 6. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Elephant Butte
How common are truck crashes in Elephant Butte?
Sierra County has had 68 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 23 people and killing 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Elephant Butte?
January has the most truck crashes in Sierra County, 14.7% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Elephant Butte?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Sierra County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Elephant Butte compare with New Mexico?
Sierra County records 50.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 45.6 across New Mexico.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Elephant Butte?
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.