Watchtower, NY truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Watchtower: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Watchtower and Ulster County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ulster County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.6 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.1 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Ulster County compares with New York State
Ulster 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 Ulster County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2022) | Ulster County | New York State | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 58.0 | 28.0 | 49.7 | 2.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.1 | 2.0 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.73 | 0.49 | 36% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.3% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 7% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.7% | 9.4% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.7% | 25.1% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.9% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.3% | 41.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.8% | 22.1% | 24.8% | 10% below the state |
Compared with New York, Ulster County is lower on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above New York on crashes per 100k residents / yr.
The headline for Ulster County: +57% change in yearly reported truck crashes from the 2000s (64) to the 2010s (101).
Overview
Since 2015, 925 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Ulster County. They injured 449 people and killed 23.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 3 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Watchtower since 2015, this page uses Ulster County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
96% of truck crash reports in Ulster County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 9.9% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (6.9%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 44.3% of truck crashes, vs 41.8% for New York.
By time of day, 11 am–12 pm stands out with 8.5% of truck crashes.
9.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.4% across New York.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Watchtower since 2015: I-84 (2), SR-17K (2), CR-14 (1), Neelytown Rd (1) and US-209 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 31 crashes, 3.4% of the total, against 3.6% across New York.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in April (16% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.6, vs 2.1 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Watchtower fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: April is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Ulster County.
- 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 Ulster County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-84 | 2 |
| SR-17K | 2 |
| CR-14 | 1 |
| Neelytown Rd | 1 |
| US-209 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Ulster County) |
|---|---|
| I-87 | 7 |
| E Chester St. | 1 |
| SR-9W | 1 |
| State Highway 300 | 1 |
Watchtower at a glance
| Land area | 0.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 12566) | $112,831 |
| Median home value (ZIP 12566) | $356,517 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ulster 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 | 50 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 64 | +27% | 3.0 |
| 2010s | 101 | +57% | 1.5 |
| 2020s | 97 | -4% | 2.4 |
In the 1990s about 50 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 97. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.0 a year in 2016–19, 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Watchtower
How common are truck crashes in Watchtower?
925 truck crashes have been reported in Ulster County since 2015, with 23 deaths and 449 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Watchtower?
The worst month is December: 9.9% of truck crashes in Ulster County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Watchtower?
Since 2015, Ulster County has reported 31 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.4% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Watchtower compare with New York?
Ulster County records 58.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 28.0 across New York.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Watchtower?
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.