New York truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in New York: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How New York compares with United States
New York against United States, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where New York stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | New York | United States | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 28.0 | 49.7 | 44% below the US |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 3.4 | 41% below the US |
| Injuries per crash | 0.73 | 0.49 | 1.5× the US |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.5× the US |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.4% | 6.2% | 1.5× the US |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.9% | 13.8% | 1.3× the US |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 22.1% | 24.8% | 11% below the US |
Compared with the US, New York is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark. It runs above the US on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in New York: 1 in 28 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 3.6%, vs 2.3% in the US.
Overview
Police reported 66,111 crashes involving commercial trucks in New York since 2015: 49,342 people were injured and 1,416 were killed.
That averages about 15 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (8.9% of the year) and are lowest in April (7.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.8% of truck crashes, vs 41.9% for the US.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.4%).
9.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 6.2% across the US.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-90 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (55). Next come I-87 (46), SR-27 (21) and I-495 (20).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2,331 of the truck crashes here, or 3.5%, compared with 2.3% in the US.
Their busiest month is January, with 10% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.1, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for New York fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-90, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 9.4% of truck crashes here, more than the US; schedule winter checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in New York
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (in New York) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 55 |
| I-87 | 46 |
| SR-27 | 21 |
| I-495 | 20 |
| I-95 | 20 |
| US-20 | 18 |
| SR-104 | 17 |
| SR-5 | 16 |
| I-84 | 15 |
| SR-17 | 15 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (New York) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 84 |
| I-87 | 51 |
| I-84 | 19 |
| I-287 | 13 |
| I-95 | 12 |
| I-81 | 11 |
| Broadway | 10 |
| Hutchinson River Parkway | 7 |
New York at a glance
| Population | 19,867,248 |
| Land area | 47,123.4 sq mi |
| Density | 422 per sq mi |
Historical data: truck crashes in New York 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 | 3,021 | — | 158.3 |
| 2000s | 3,197 | +6% | 129.0 |
| 2010s | 5,242 | +64% | 106.4 |
| 2020s | 5,431 | +4% | 117.2 |
In the 1990s about 3,021 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 5,431. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 110.5 a year in 2016–19, 117.2 a year in 2020–24.
Counties in New York
Largest places in New York
Nearby states
Questions fleets ask about New York
How many truck accidents are there in New York?
Since 2015, 66,111 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in New York (49,342 injured, 1,416 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in New York?
Since 2015, I-90 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes in New York: 55.
When do most truck crashes happen in New York?
Truck crashes in New York peak in January, with 8.9% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in New York?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2,331 reported crashes in New York since 2015 (3.5% of truck crashes).
How does New York compare with the US for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 28.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in New York, vs 49.7 for the US.
How can I plan a safer truck route in New York?
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.