California, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in California: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in California and Washington County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Washington County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.3 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Washington County compares with Pennsylvania
Washington County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Washington County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Washington County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 80.1 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 23% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 9% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 31% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.0% | 9.1% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.5% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 8% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.6% | 19.0% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 28.8% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Washington County sits below Pennsylvania on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
What stands out in California: I-70 deadliest road: 6 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of California since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 1,982 crashes involving commercial trucks in Washington County since 2015: 862 people were injured and 38 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Only 19 truck crashes were reported in California since 2015; patterns below come from Washington County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 10.9% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (6.8%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 41.0% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Pennsylvania.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (7.3%).
Road surface: 9.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
I-70 leads within 10 miles of California with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-51 (2), I-43 (1) and National Pike (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
50 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.5% share (Pennsylvania: 3.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in January (16% of them).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 4.3, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for California fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Washington County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-70; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at January 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
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 Washington County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 6 |
| SR-51 | 2 |
| I-43 | 1 |
| National Pike | 1 |
| SR-4006 | 1 |
| US-40 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Washington County) |
|---|---|
| I-0070 | 835 |
| I-0079 | 253 |
| SR-0018 | 94 |
| SR-0019 | 56 |
| SR-0040 | 45 |
| SR-0022 | 43 |
| SR-0088 | 33 |
| SR-0519 | 33 |
California at a glance
| Population | 4,628 |
| Land area | 11.0 sq mi |
| Density | 420 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 15419) | $43,813 |
| Median home value (ZIP 15419) | $125,872 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Washington 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 | 127 | — | 3.3 |
| 2000s | 115 | -9% | 3.4 |
| 2010s | 153 | +33% | 2.9 |
| 2020s | 147 | -4% | 2.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 127 a year in the 1990s and 147 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 3.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about California
How common are truck crashes in California?
Washington County has had 1,982 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 862 people and killing 38.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in California?
I-70 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of California since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in California?
Truck crashes in Washington County peak in January, with 10.9% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in California?
Garbage trucks were involved in 50 reported crashes in Washington County since 2015 (2.5% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in California compared with Pennsylvania?
Per 100,000 residents, Washington County has 80.1 truck crashes a year; Pennsylvania has 57.2.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in California?
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.