Chester, SC truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Chester: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Chester and Chester County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Chester County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 530 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Chester County compares with South Carolina
Chester County against South Carolina and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Chester County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Chester County | South Carolina | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 140.6 | 61.6 | 49.7 | 2.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.4 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.61 | 0.64 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.6% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 72% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.8% | 0.4% | 6.2% | 1.8× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.8% | 24.0% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.6% | 11.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.8% | 40.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 21.8% | 21.5% | 24.8% | same |
Chester County sits below South Carolina on garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Chester County: 0.8% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (South Carolina: 0.4%).
Overview
Since 2015, 530 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Chester County. They injured 319 people and killed 33.
That averages about one truck crash every 8 days in fully reported years.
Chester had 128 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Chester County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in May (11.9% of the year) and are lowest in December (5.7%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 38.8% of truck crashes, vs 40.5% for South Carolina.
More truck crashes happen at 9–10 am than at any other hour (8.1%).
0.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.4% across South Carolina.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Chester is SR-9, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: SR-1 (1), SR-72 (1) and SR-97 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 3 crashes, 0.6% of the total, against 2.1% across South Carolina.
Route planning tips for Chester fleets
- Plan May schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Chester County.
- Look at alternatives to SR-9 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- 0.8% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above South Carolina; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Chester County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-9 | 2 |
| SR-1 | 1 |
| SR-72 | 1 |
| SR-97 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Chester County) |
|---|---|
| I-77 | 94 |
| Lancaster Hwy | 37 |
| Catawba River Rd | 14 |
| Pinckney Rd | 10 |
| Great Falls Hwy | 8 |
| Saluda Rd | 5 |
| Old Richburg Rd | 5 |
| J A Cochran Byp | 5 |
Chester at a glance
| Population | 5,230 |
| Land area | 3.3 sq mi |
| Density | 1,583 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 29706) | $51,230 |
| Median home value (ZIP 29706) | $153,683 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Chester 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 | 42 | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 37 | -12% | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 38 | +4% | 1.7 |
| 2020s | 45 | +18% | 2.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 42 a year in the 1990s and 45 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 3.0 a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Chester
How many truck accidents are there in Chester?
Chester County has had 530 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 319 people and killing 33.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Chester?
Since 2015, SR-9 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Chester: 2.
When do most truck crashes happen in Chester?
Truck crashes in Chester County peak in May, with 11.9% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Chester?
Since 2015, Chester County has reported 3 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.6% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Chester compare with South Carolina?
The yearly rate is 140.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Chester County, vs 61.6 for South Carolina.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Chester?
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.