Tahlequah, OK truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Tahlequah: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Tahlequah and Cherokee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cherokee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 159 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Cherokee County compares with Oklahoma
Cherokee County against Oklahoma and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cherokee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cherokee County | Oklahoma | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 27.1 | 79.3 | 49.7 | 66% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.66 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.8% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 2.0× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.5% | 5.3% | 6.2% | 35% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 34.5% | 22.6% | 23.7% | 1.5× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.6% | 12.8% | 13.8% | 41% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 31.7% | 40.4% | 41.9% | 22% below the state |
| After dark | 9.7% | 25.4% | 24.8% | 62% below the state |
Compared with Oklahoma, Cherokee County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Cherokee County: 1 in 36 crashes involve a garbage truck (6 since 2015), vs 1.4% across Oklahoma.
Overview
Since 2015, 159 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cherokee County. They injured 103 people and killed 5.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 28 days.
Only 139 truck crashes were reported in Tahlequah since 2015; patterns below come from Cherokee County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 12.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is January at 5.0%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 31.7% of truck crashes, vs 40.4% for Oklahoma.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (10.7%).
Road surface: 3.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Oklahoma: 5.3%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Tahlequah is US-62, with 4 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-51 (1) and SR-82 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
6 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.8% share (Oklahoma: 1.4%).
Route planning tips for Tahlequah fleets
- Build extra time into June routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to US-62 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 34.5% of truck crashes here, more than Oklahoma; adjust start times where you can.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Cherokee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-62 | 4 |
| SR-51 | 1 |
| SR-82 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cherokee County) |
|---|---|
| US-62 | 21 |
| State Highway 82 | 11 |
| SR-82 | 6 |
| State Highway 51 | 6 |
| S Muskogee Ave | 5 |
| State Highway 100 | 5 |
| Ok-51 | 4 |
| Sh-82 | 4 |
Tahlequah at a glance
| Population | 17,319 |
| Land area | 12.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,357 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cherokee 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 | 7 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 8 | +19% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 12 | +45% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 15 | +28% | 0.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 7 a year in the 1990s and 15 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 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Tahlequah
How many truck accidents are there in Tahlequah?
Cherokee County has had 159 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 103 people and killing 5.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Tahlequah?
US-62 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Tahlequah since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Tahlequah?
June has the most truck crashes in Cherokee County, 12.6% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Tahlequah?
Since 2015, Cherokee County has reported 6 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.8% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Tahlequah compare with Oklahoma?
Cherokee County records 27.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 79.3 across Oklahoma.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Tahlequah?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.