East Bethlehem, PA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in East Bethlehem: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in East Bethlehem 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 has lower values than Pennsylvania for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
The headline for East Bethlehem: I-70 4 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of East Bethlehem.
Overview
Police reported 1,982 crashes involving commercial trucks in Washington County since 2015: 862 people were injured and 38 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
Only 10 truck crashes were reported in East Bethlehem since 2015; patterns below come from Washington County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (10.9% of the year) and are lowest in November (6.8%).
November through March accounts for 41.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 7.3% of truck crashes.
9.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.1% across Pennsylvania.
Where crashes happen
I-70 leads within 10 miles of East Bethlehem with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by SR-21 (2), I-43 (1) and I-79 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 50 of the truck crashes here, or 2.5%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Their busiest month is January, with 16% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 4.3, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for East Bethlehem fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-70, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Washington County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 4 |
| SR-21 | 2 |
| I-43 | 1 |
| I-79 | 1 |
| National Pike | 1 |
| SR-166 | 1 |
| SR-4006 | 1 |
| US-19 | 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 |
East Bethlehem at a glance
| Population | 2,258 |
| Land area | 5.1 sq mi |
| Density | 446 per sq mi |
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 |
In the 1990s about 127 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 147. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.8 a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about East Bethlehem
How many truck accidents are there in East Bethlehem?
Since 2015, 1,982 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Washington County (862 injured, 38 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in East Bethlehem?
I-70 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of East Bethlehem since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in East Bethlehem?
The worst month is January: 10.9% of truck crashes in Washington County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in East Bethlehem?
Since 2015, Washington County has reported 50 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.5% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in East Bethlehem compare with Pennsylvania?
Washington County records 80.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 57.2 across Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in East Bethlehem?
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.