Catasauqua, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Catasauqua: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Catasauqua and Lehigh County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lehigh County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Lehigh County compares with Pennsylvania
Lehigh County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lehigh County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 83.0 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 15% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.1% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 14% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.5% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 50% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.1% | 24.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.8% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.5% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 7% below the state |
| After dark | 26.1% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Lehigh County has lower values than Pennsylvania for deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
What stands out in Catasauqua: I-78 deadliest road: 6 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Catasauqua since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 3,737 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lehigh County. They injured 1,632 people and killed 85.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Only 8 truck crashes were reported in Catasauqua since 2015; patterns below come from Lehigh County as a whole.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 9.2% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (7.0%).
November through March accounts for 39.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 7.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 4.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
I-78 leads within 10 miles of Catasauqua with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: US-22 (5), US-222 (4) and SR-145 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
114 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.1% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in September (11% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 5.5, vs 2.2 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Catasauqua fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-78, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at September schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Lehigh County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-78 | 6 |
| US-22 | 5 |
| US-222 | 4 |
| SR-145 | 3 |
| SR-248 | 2 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| SR-378 | 2 |
| Schantz Rd | 2 |
| I-476 | 1 |
| Mu-American Pkwy | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lehigh County) |
|---|---|
| I-0078 | 880 |
| I-7476 | 412 |
| SR-0022 | 400 |
| SR-0309 | 234 |
| SR-0222 | 190 |
| SR-0100 | 152 |
| SR-0145 | 120 |
| SR-1002 | 79 |
Catasauqua at a glance
| Population | 6,625 |
| Land area | 1.3 sq mi |
| Density | 5,128 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 18032) | $81,098 |
| Median home value (ZIP 18032) | $222,812 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lehigh 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 | 170 | — | 4.9 |
| 2000s | 236 | +39% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 256 | +8% | 4.9 |
| 2020s | 323 | +26% | 4.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 170 to 323. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 4.0 a year in 2016–19, 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Catasauqua
How many truck crashes happen in Catasauqua?
Lehigh County has had 3,737 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,632 people and killing 85.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Catasauqua?
Since 2015, I-78 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Catasauqua: 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Catasauqua?
The worst month is October: 9.2% of truck crashes in Lehigh County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Catasauqua?
114 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lehigh County since 2015, 3.1% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Catasauqua compare with Pennsylvania?
Lehigh County records 83.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Catasauqua?
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.