Gem, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Gem: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Gem and Brown County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Brown County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 115 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Brown County compares with South Dakota
Brown County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Brown County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Brown County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 25.7 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 39% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.7 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 14.1% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 51% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.6% | 22.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.4% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 46% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 48.1% | 48.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.1% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 34% below the state |
Brown County has lower values than South Dakota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above South Dakota on deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Brown County: 1 in 21 garbage-truck share of crashes is 4.7%, against 1.6% for South Dakota.
Overview
Police reported 115 crashes involving commercial trucks in Brown County since 2015: 14 people were injured and 6 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 38 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Gem since 2015; patterns below come from Brown County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (12.2% of the year) and are lowest in May (4.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 48.1% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
The busiest hour is 4–5 pm, with 11.3% of truck crashes.
14.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Gem since 2015: US-12 (1) and US-281 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 5 of the truck crashes here, or 4.3%, compared with 1.6% in South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Gem fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Brown County.
- 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 Brown County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-12 | 1 |
| US-281 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Brown County) |
|---|---|
| US-12 | 46 |
| US-281 | 17 |
| Ave | 12 |
| Sd Hwy 37 | 10 |
| Sd Hwy 10 | 5 |
| 5Th St | 2 |
| 10Th Ave Sw Sw | 1 |
| 412Th Ave. | 1 |
Gem at a glance
| Population | 192 |
| Land area | 66.2 sq mi |
| Density | 3 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57479) | $102,222 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57479) | $250,658 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Brown 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 | 8 | — | 0.7 |
| 2000s | 9 | +11% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 11 | +22% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 10 | -16% | 0.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 8 a year in the 1990s and 10 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Gem
How common are truck crashes in Gem?
Since 2015, 115 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Brown County (14 injured, 6 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Gem?
The worst month is October: 12.2% of truck crashes in Brown County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Gem?
Since 2015, Brown County has reported 5 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.3% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Gem compare with South Dakota?
Brown County records 25.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.0 across South Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Gem?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.