Washington Heights, NY truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Washington Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Washington Heights and Orange County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Orange County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Orange County compares with New York State
Orange 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 Orange County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2022) | Orange County | New York State | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 65.2 | 28.0 | 49.7 | 2.3× 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 | 3.5% | 3.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.9% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 37% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.0% | 25.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.1% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 16% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.9% | 41.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 21.4% | 22.1% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with New York, Orange County is lower on injuries per crash, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above New York on crashes per 100k residents / yr.
Orange County at a glance: January more garbage-truck crashes happen in January than in any other month (13%).
Overview
Since 2015, 2,371 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Orange County. They injured 1,372 people and killed 48.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Washington Heights since 2015, this page uses Orange County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
96% of truck crash reports in Orange 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 9.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.0%.
November through March accounts for 39.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 41.8% in New York.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 7.9% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 5.9% of truck crashes, compared with 9.4% in New York.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Washington Heights since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-17 (3), US-6 (3), SR-17K (2), Bloomingburg Rd (1) and CR-6 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 82 crashes, 3.5% of the total, against 3.6% across New York.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in January (13% of them).
They recorded 4.1 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.0 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Washington Heights fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at January schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Reporting was incomplete in 2023, 2024 and 2025, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Orange County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-17 | 3 |
| US-6 | 3 |
| SR-17K | 2 |
| Bloomingburg Rd | 1 |
| CR-6 | 1 |
| CR-8 Sarah Wells Trail | 1 |
| I-84 | 1 |
| Mount Prosper Rd | 1 |
| North St | 1 |
| SR-211 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Orange County) |
|---|---|
| I-87 | 7 |
| I-84 | 7 |
| SR-17 | 6 |
| Ackerman Rd | 1 |
| Cross Road | 1 |
| Exit 16 Sr 17 E To I 87 | 1 |
| Exit 39 I 84 Eb To Us Rte 9W | 1 |
| SR-17A | 1 |
Washington Heights at a glance
| Land area | 1.5 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Orange 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 | 118 | — | 3.7 |
| 2000s | 163 | +38% | 5.3 |
| 2010s | 248 | +52% | 3.9 |
| 2020s | 246 | -1% | 5.2 |
In the 1990s about 118 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 246. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 3.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 5.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Washington Heights
How common are truck crashes in Washington Heights?
Since 2015, 2,371 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Orange County (1,372 injured, 48 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Washington Heights?
The worst month is June: 9.3% of truck crashes in Orange County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Washington Heights?
82 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Orange County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
How does Washington Heights compare with New York for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 65.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Orange County, vs 28.0 for New York.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Washington Heights?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
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.