Lancaster, OH truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lancaster: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lancaster and Fairfield County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Fairfield County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
20 of 422 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Fairfield County compares with Ohio
Fairfield County against Ohio and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Fairfield County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Fairfield County | Ohio | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 22.2 | 50.8 | 49.7 | 56% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 23% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 12% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.6% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 1.8× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.5% | 7.8% | 6.2% | 55% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.2% | 21.4% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.9% | 18.9% | 13.8% | 32% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.1% | 42.3% | 41.9% | 10% below the state |
| After dark | 19.0% | 25.8% | 24.8% | 26% below the state |
Fairfield County sits below Ohio on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above Ohio on garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Fairfield County: 1 in 22 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.6%, vs 2.5% in Ohio.
Overview
Since 2015, 422 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Fairfield County. They injured 204 people and killed 10.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 10 days.
With 67 truck crashes reported in Lancaster since 2015, this page uses Fairfield County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is September with 10.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 6.4%.
November through March accounts for 38.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.3% in Ohio.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 am than at any other hour (8.5%).
3.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 7.8% across Ohio.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Lancaster happened on US-22 (2), US-33 (2), CR-31 Coonpath Rd (1), SR-159 (1) and SR-37 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 20 crashes, 4.7% of the total, against 2.5% across Ohio.
Their busiest month is January, with 25% of garbage-truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Lancaster fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: January is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Fairfield County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Reporting was incomplete in 2020, 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 Fairfield County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-22 | 2 |
| US-33 | 2 |
| CR-31 Coonpath Rd | 1 |
| SR-159 | 1 |
| SR-37 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Fairfield County) |
|---|---|
| US-33 | 82 |
| Ir 70 | 51 |
| US-22 | 28 |
| SR-37 | 25 |
| SR-188 | 20 |
| SR-256 | 15 |
| SR-159 | 13 |
| Memorial Dr | 9 |
Lancaster at a glance
| Population | 41,671 |
| Land area | 19.0 sq mi |
| Density | 2,188 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 43130) | $72,153 |
| Median home value (ZIP 43130) | $229,510 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Fairfield 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 | 19 | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 33 | +70% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 43 | +31% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 27 | -37% | 1.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 19 to 27. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lancaster
How many truck crashes happen in Lancaster?
422 truck crashes have been reported in Fairfield County since 2015, with 10 deaths and 204 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Lancaster?
September has the most truck crashes in Fairfield County, 10.9% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Lancaster?
20 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Fairfield County since 2015, 4.7% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Lancaster compare with Ohio?
Fairfield County records 22.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 50.8 across Ohio.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Lancaster?
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 2020; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.