Deer Creek, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Deer Creek: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Deer Creek and Mercer County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Mercer County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Mercer County compares with Pennsylvania
Mercer County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Mercer County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Mercer County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 88.3 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.48 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.7% | 3.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 26.5% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 2.9× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.2% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 32.9% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.7× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 28.4% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Pennsylvania, Mercer County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Mercer County: 26.5% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 9.1% in Pennsylvania.
Overview
Mercer County has recorded 1,176 truck crashes since 2015, with 547 people injured and 29 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 4 days.
Deer Creek had 9 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Mercer County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (15.1% of the year) and are lowest in March (5.9%).
November through March accounts for 49.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (6.6%).
Road surface: 26.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Deer Creek since 2015: I-79 (2), US-322 (2), SR-285 (1), SR-4020 (1) and US-19 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
41 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.5% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Their busiest month is May, with 20% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Deer Creek fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Mercer County.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in May; review collection routes for that month.
- With 26.5% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Pennsylvania), plan winter equipment checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Mercer County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-79 | 2 |
| US-322 | 2 |
| SR-285 | 1 |
| SR-4020 | 1 |
| US-19 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Mercer County) |
|---|---|
| I-0080 | 581 |
| I-0079 | 90 |
| SR-0018 | 52 |
| Z H Confair Hw | 50 |
| SR-0019 | 36 |
| SR-0058 | 33 |
| SR-0062 | 31 |
| SR-0173 | 23 |
Deer Creek at a glance
| Population | 443 |
| Land area | 14.5 sq mi |
| Density | 30 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 16151) | $73,958 |
| Median home value (ZIP 16151) | $86,780 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Mercer 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 | 87 | — | 2.2 |
| 2000s | 88 | +1% | 3.1 |
| 2010s | 80 | -9% | 2.3 |
| 2020s | 93 | +16% | 1.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 87 to 93. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Deer Creek
How common are truck crashes in Deer Creek?
Since 2015, 1,176 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Mercer County (547 injured, 29 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Deer Creek?
January has the most truck crashes in Mercer County, 15.1% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Deer Creek?
41 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Mercer County since 2015, 3.5% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Deer Creek compared with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 88.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Mercer County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Deer Creek?
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.