Saranac Lake, NY truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Saranac Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Saranac Lake and Franklin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Franklin County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4 of 177 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Franklin County compares with New York State
Franklin 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 Franklin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2022) | Franklin County | New York State | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 41.1 | 28.0 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.4 | 35% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.73 | 0.49 | 34% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.6% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 28% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.1% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 2.9× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.2% | 25.1% | 23.7% | 8% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 29.7% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 1.7× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.7% | 41.8% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 12.3% | 22.1% | 24.8% | 45% below the state |
Compared with New York, Franklin County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Franklin County: 27.1% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 9.4% in New York.
Overview
Since 2015, 177 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Franklin County. They injured 84 people and killed 2.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 19 days.
Saranac Lake had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Franklin County numbers.
94% of truck crash reports in Franklin County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 13.0% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (4.0%).
November through March accounts for 49.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.8% in New York.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 10.7% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 27.1% of truck crashes, compared with 9.4% in New York.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Saranac Lake happened on Lake St (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 4 of the truck crashes here, or 2.3%, compared with 3.6% in New York.
Route planning tips for Saranac Lake fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Franklin County.
- 27.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above New York; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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.
Reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2023, 2024 and 2025; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Franklin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| Lake St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Franklin County) |
|---|---|
| SR-11 | 3 |
| Hartnet Rd. | 1 |
| SR-3 | 1 |
| Washington St | 1 |
Saranac Lake at a glance
| Population | 4,856 |
| Land area | 2.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1,668 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 12983) | $65,985 |
| Median home value (ZIP 12983) | $227,090 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Franklin 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 | 16 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 19 | +14% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 20 | +5% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 17 | -13% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 16 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 17. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Saranac Lake
How common are truck crashes in Saranac Lake?
Since 2015, 177 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Franklin County (84 injured, 2 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Saranac Lake?
The worst month is January: 13.0% of truck crashes in Franklin County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Saranac Lake?
4 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Franklin County since 2015, 2.3% of all truck crashes.
How does Saranac Lake compare with New York for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 41.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Franklin County, vs 28.0 for New York.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Saranac Lake?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
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.