Pawtucket, RI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Pawtucket: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Pawtucket and Providence County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Providence County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Providence County compares with Rhode Island
Providence County against Rhode Island and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Providence County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Providence County | Rhode Island | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 14.0 | 14.2 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 1.3× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.63 | 0.64 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.0% | 4.6% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.0% | 5.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 29.0% | 28.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.6% | 14.1% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.3% | 40.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 21.3% | 19.0% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Providence County has lower values than Rhode Island for garbage-truck share. It runs above Rhode Island on deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
What stands out in Pawtucket: 1.7× yearly fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Pawtucket: 2.0 in 2016–19, 3.4 in 2020–24.
Overview
Police reported 1,094 crashes involving commercial trucks in Providence County since 2015: 685 people were injured and 38 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 4 days.
Pawtucket had 107 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Providence County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (10.3% of the year) and are lowest in August (6.7%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.3% of truck crashes, against 40.9% across Rhode Island.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 6.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Rhode Island: 5.6%).
Where crashes happen
I-95 leads within 10 miles of Pawtucket with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: I-195 (3), I-295 (3) and US-44 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 46 of the truck crashes here, or 4.2%, compared with 4.6% in Rhode Island.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in November (20% of them).
They recorded 9.5 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Pawtucket fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-95 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in November; review collection routes for that month.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Providence County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-95 | 5 |
| I-195 | 3 |
| I-295 | 3 |
| US-44 | 2 |
| Adamsdale Rd | 1 |
| Atwells Ave | 1 |
| Cranston St | 1 |
| Pine St | 1 |
| SR-1 | 1 |
| SR-12 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Providence County) |
|---|---|
| SR-95 | 208 |
| SR-295 | 86 |
| SR-146 | 82 |
| SR-195 | 46 |
| Hartford Ave | 35 |
| SR-6 | 32 |
| Putnam Pike | 22 |
| Mendon Rd | 19 |
Pawtucket at a glance
| Population | 76,996 |
| Land area | 8.7 sq mi |
| Density | 8,884 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Providence 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 | 40 | — | 2.2 |
| 2000s | 141 | +251% | 3.0 |
| 2010s | 105 | -25% | 2.1 |
| 2020s | 86 | -18% | 2.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 40 a year in the 1990s and 86 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 2.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Pawtucket
How common are truck crashes in Pawtucket?
1,094 truck crashes have been reported in Providence County since 2015, with 38 deaths and 685 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Pawtucket?
Since 2015, I-95 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Pawtucket: 5.
When do most truck crashes happen in Pawtucket?
Truck crashes in Providence County peak in October, with 10.3% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Pawtucket?
46 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Providence County since 2015, 4.2% of all truck crashes.
How does Pawtucket compare with Rhode Island for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Providence County has 14.0 truck crashes a year; Rhode Island has 14.2.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Pawtucket?
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.