Bethlehem, NY truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bethlehem: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bethlehem and Albany County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Albany County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.1 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Albany County compares with New York State
Albany County against New York State and the US, 2015–2022 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Albany County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2022) | Albany County | New York State | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.8 | 28.0 | 49.7 | 2.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 45% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.73 | 0.49 | 38% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.6% | 3.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 8.5% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 10% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.8% | 25.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.3% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 9% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.7% | 41.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.8% | 22.1% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Albany County sits below New York on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr.
The headline for Albany County: +58% change in yearly reported truck crashes from the 2000s (105) to the 2010s (166).
Overview
Police reported 1,570 crashes involving commercial trucks in Albany County since 2015: 736 people were injured and 21 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
Only 3 truck crashes were reported in Bethlehem since 2015; patterns below come from Albany County as a whole.
97% of truck crash reports in Albany County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 9.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 7.3%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.7% of truck crashes, vs 41.8% for New York.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.6% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 8.5% of truck crashes, compared with 9.4% in New York.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Bethlehem since 2015: I-787 (3), SR-5 (3), I-90 (2), Broadway (1) and CR-378 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
55 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (New York: 3.6%).
Their busiest month is February, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.8, vs 1.1 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Bethlehem fleets
- Plan June schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Albany County.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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.
Crash reporting for 2023, 2024 and 2025 is incomplete; those years are shown in grey and not used for rates.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Albany County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-787 | 3 |
| SR-5 | 3 |
| I-90 | 2 |
| Broadway | 1 |
| CR-378 | 1 |
| Church St | 1 |
| E Highland Dr | 1 |
| SR-9 | 1 |
| US-4 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Albany County) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 5 |
| I-87 | 3 |
| I-787 | 2 |
| Delmar Bypass | 1 |
| I 890 Exit 9A And Curry Rd. | 1 |
| I87 To I787 Acrd | 1 |
| Loudon Rd. | 1 |
| Sr 7 Wb To Loudon Rd | 1 |
Bethlehem at a glance
| Population | 35,424 |
| Land area | 49.0 sq mi |
| Density | 722 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 12077) | $118,257 |
| Median home value (ZIP 12077) | $392,383 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Albany 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 | 54 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 105 | +96% | 2.3 |
| 2010s | 166 | +58% | 1.8 |
| 2020s | 158 | -5% | 2.6 |
In the 1990s about 54 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 158. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bethlehem
How many truck accidents are there in Bethlehem?
Since 2015, 1,570 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Albany County (736 injured, 21 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Bethlehem?
June has the most truck crashes in Albany County, 9.6% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Bethlehem?
Garbage trucks were involved in 55 reported crashes in Albany County since 2015 (3.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Bethlehem compared with New York?
Per 100,000 residents, Albany County has 56.8 truck crashes a year; New York has 28.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Bethlehem?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2023, 2024 and 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.