Watertown, NY truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Watertown: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Watertown and Jefferson County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Jefferson County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
7 of 449 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Jefferson County compares with New York State
Jefferson 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 Jefferson County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2022) | Jefferson County | New York State | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 44.7 | 28.0 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.56 | 0.73 | 0.49 | 23% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.7% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 51% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 35.6% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 3.8× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.7% | 25.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 39.5% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 2.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 59.8% | 41.8% | 41.9% | 1.4× the state |
| After dark | 20.0% | 22.1% | 24.8% | 10% below the state |
Jefferson County sits below New York on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and after dark. It runs above New York on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Jefferson County: 35.6% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 9.4% in New York.
Overview
Since 2015, 449 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Jefferson County. They injured 261 people and killed 8.
That averages about one truck crash every 7 days in fully reported years.
Only 8 truck crashes were reported in Watertown since 2015; patterns below come from Jefferson County as a whole.
96% of truck crash reports in Jefferson County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 18.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is September at 3.1%.
November through March accounts for 59.8% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.8% in New York.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (9.8%).
Road surface: 35.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (New York: 9.4%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Watertown since 2015: US-11 (2), CR-69 (1) and SR-3 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 7 of the truck crashes here, or 1.6%, compared with 3.6% in New York.
Route planning tips for Watertown fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 35.6% 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 Jefferson County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-11 | 2 |
| CR-69 | 1 |
| SR-3 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Jefferson County) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 8 |
| Northbound On I-81 | 1 |
| Us Rte 11 | 1 |
Watertown at a glance
| Population | 24,038 |
| Land area | 9.0 sq mi |
| Density | 2,661 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 13601) | $58,791 |
| Median home value (ZIP 13601) | $173,617 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Jefferson 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 | 47 | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 41 | -13% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 46 | +13% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 51 | +10% | 1.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 47 a year in the 1990s and 51 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Watertown
How common are truck crashes in Watertown?
449 truck crashes have been reported in Jefferson County since 2015, with 8 deaths and 261 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Watertown?
The worst month is January: 18.0% of truck crashes in Jefferson County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Watertown?
7 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Jefferson County since 2015, 1.6% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Watertown compared with New York?
Per 100,000 residents, Jefferson County has 44.7 truck crashes a year; New York has 28.0.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Watertown?
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.