Emmaus, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Emmaus: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Emmaus 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 Emmaus: US-222 11 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Emmaus.
Overview
Police reported 3,737 crashes involving commercial trucks in Lehigh County since 2015: 1,632 people were injured and 85 were killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Emmaus had 51 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Lehigh County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (9.2% of the year) and are lowest in November (7.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 39.5% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across 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
Within this area, US-222 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (11). After it: I-78 (8), I-476 (3) and US-22 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 114 of the truck crashes here, or 3.1%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Their busiest month is September, with 11% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 5.5, vs 2.2 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Emmaus fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Where you can, review stops along US-222; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: September is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Lehigh County.
- 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.
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) |
|---|---|
| US-222 | 11 |
| I-78 | 8 |
| I-476 | 3 |
| US-22 | 3 |
| SR-145 | 2 |
| SR-309 | 2 |
| SR-378 | 2 |
| Schantz Rd | 2 |
| Mu-American Pkwy | 1 |
| SR-0121 | 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 |
Emmaus at a glance
| Population | 12,314 |
| Land area | 2.9 sq mi |
| Density | 4,254 per sq mi |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 170 a year in the 1990s and 323 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 4.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 4.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Emmaus
How common are truck crashes in Emmaus?
Since 2015, 3,737 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Lehigh County (1,632 injured, 85 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Emmaus?
US-222 had 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Emmaus since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Emmaus?
The worst month is October: 9.2% of truck crashes in Lehigh County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Emmaus?
114 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lehigh County since 2015, 3.1% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Emmaus compared with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 83.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Lehigh County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Emmaus?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.