New Columbus, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in New Columbus: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in New Columbus and Luzerne County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Luzerne County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Luzerne County compares with Pennsylvania
Luzerne County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Luzerne County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 74.6 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 23% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.0% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 17% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.4% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.9% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 11% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.8% | 19.0% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.9% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with Pennsylvania, Luzerne County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
What stands out in Luzerne County: December more garbage-truck crashes happen in December than in any other month (17%).
Overview
Police reported 2,881 crashes involving commercial trucks in Luzerne County since 2015: 1,313 people were injured and 56 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in New Columbus since 2015; patterns below come from Luzerne County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is December with 9.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.0%.
November through March accounts for 43.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 7.4% of truck crashes.
10.4% 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 New Columbus since 2015 were spread across roads: I-80 (1), SR-0239 (1), SR-1025 (1), SR-487 (1) and SR-93 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
82 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.8% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Their busiest month is December, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.7, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for New Columbus fleets
- Build extra time into December routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- With 10.4% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Pennsylvania), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Luzerne County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 1 |
| SR-0239 | 1 |
| SR-1025 | 1 |
| SR-487 | 1 |
| SR-93 | 1 |
| Sr-Stuart Memorial Hwy | 1 |
| US-11 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Luzerne County) |
|---|---|
| I-0081 | 818 |
| I-0080 | 562 |
| SR-0309 | 167 |
| I-7476 | 113 |
| SR-0315 | 104 |
| SR-0093 | 95 |
| SR-0924 | 86 |
| SR-0011 | 75 |
New Columbus at a glance
| Population | 224 |
| Land area | 3.1 sq mi |
| Density | 72 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Luzerne 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 | 147 | — | 4.4 |
| 2000s | 194 | +32% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 182 | -6% | 3.2 |
| 2020s | 257 | +41% | 3.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 147 a year in the 1990s and 257 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 3.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about New Columbus
How common are truck crashes in New Columbus?
Luzerne County has had 2,881 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,313 people and killing 56.
Which month has the most truck crashes in New Columbus?
Truck crashes in Luzerne County peak in December, with 9.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in New Columbus?
Since 2015, Luzerne County has reported 82 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.8% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in New Columbus compare with Pennsylvania?
Luzerne County records 74.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How can I plan a safer truck route in New Columbus?
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.