Clay, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Clay: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Clay and Lancaster County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lancaster County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.4 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Lancaster County compares with Pennsylvania
Lancaster County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lancaster County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 63.9 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.5% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 39% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.0% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.4% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 19% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.3% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.2% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 21% below the state |
Lancaster County sits below Pennsylvania on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Lancaster County: January more garbage-truck crashes happen in January than in any other month (13%).
Overview
Since 2015, 4,274 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lancaster County. They injured 1,880 people and killed 104.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Clay had 58 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Lancaster County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (10.7% of the year) and are lowest in December (7.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.3% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
By time of day, 7–8 am stands out with 7.8% of truck crashes.
5.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Clay since 2015 were spread across roads: I-76 (4), US-322 (4), SR-272 (3), SR-501 (3) and SR-72 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
174 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.1% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Their busiest month is January, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 2.4, vs 2.4 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Clay fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- 27.0% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Pennsylvania; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lancaster County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-76 | 4 |
| US-322 | 4 |
| SR-272 | 3 |
| SR-501 | 3 |
| SR-72 | 3 |
| SR-0072 | 2 |
| Ssr-1011 Railroad Ave | 2 |
| E Mountain Ave | 1 |
| Richland Rd | 1 |
| SR-419 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lancaster County) |
|---|---|
| SR-0030 | 693 |
| SR-0222 | 441 |
| I-6000 | 350 |
| SR-0300 | 257 |
| SR-0272 | 178 |
| SR-0072 | 147 |
| SR-0023 | 146 |
| SR-0322 | 130 |
Clay at a glance
| Population | 7,036 |
| Land area | 2.2 sq mi |
| Density | 3,147 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lancaster 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 | 274 | — | 8.3 |
| 2000s | 275 | +1% | 6.5 |
| 2010s | 287 | +4% | 6.9 |
| 2020s | 378 | +32% | 8.6 |
In the 1990s about 274 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 378. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 7.2 a year in 2016–19 and 8.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Clay
How common are truck crashes in Clay?
4,274 truck crashes have been reported in Lancaster County since 2015, with 104 deaths and 1,880 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Clay?
Truck crashes in Lancaster County peak in October, with 10.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Clay?
Garbage trucks were involved in 174 reported crashes in Lancaster County since 2015 (4.1% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Clay compared with Pennsylvania?
Lancaster County records 63.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Clay?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.