Portsmouth, OH truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Portsmouth: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Portsmouth and Scioto County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Scioto County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
17 of 268 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Scioto County compares with Ohio
Scioto County against Ohio and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Scioto County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Scioto County | Ohio | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.5 | 50.8 | 49.7 | 32% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.58 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.9% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.4% | 7.8% | 6.2% | 31% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.0% | 21.4% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.0% | 18.9% | 13.8% | 31% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 42.3% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.7% | 25.8% | 24.8% | 39% below the state |
Compared with Ohio, Scioto County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Scioto County: 1 in 20 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.9%, vs 2.5% in Ohio.
Overview
Police reported 268 crashes involving commercial trucks in Scioto County since 2015: 150 people were injured and 8 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 15 days in fully reported years.
Only 46 truck crashes were reported in Portsmouth since 2015; patterns below come from Scioto County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 11.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 5.6%.
November through March accounts for 43.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.3% in Ohio.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (11.9%).
5.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 7.8% across Ohio.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Portsmouth since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-73 (2), US-23 (2), SR-104 (1), SR-522 (1) and SR-852 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 17 of the truck crashes here, or 6.3%, compared with 2.5% in Ohio.
Route planning tips for Portsmouth fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 to FMCSA was incomplete in 2020 and 2022; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Scioto County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-73 | 2 |
| US-23 | 2 |
| SR-104 | 1 |
| SR-522 | 1 |
| SR-852 | 1 |
| Ts-Madeline Street | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Scioto County) |
|---|---|
| US-52 | 28 |
| US-23 | 28 |
| SR-73 | 24 |
| SR-104 | 14 |
| SR-823 | 13 |
| SR-140 | 10 |
| Gallia St | 10 |
| SR-139 | 9 |
Portsmouth at a glance
| Population | 17,489 |
| Land area | 10.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1,630 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 45662) | $36,504 |
| Median home value (ZIP 45662) | $108,441 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Scioto 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 | 4 | — | 1.7 |
| 2000s | 22 | +513% | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 28 | +26% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 18 | -35% | 0.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 4 to 18. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Portsmouth
How common are truck crashes in Portsmouth?
Scioto County has had 268 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 150 people and killing 8.
When do most truck crashes happen in Portsmouth?
The worst month is October: 11.9% of truck crashes in Scioto County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Portsmouth?
17 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Scioto County since 2015, 6.3% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Portsmouth compared with Ohio?
The yearly rate is 34.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Scioto County, vs 50.8 for Ohio.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Portsmouth?
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 2020 and 2022; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.