Mercier, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Mercier: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Mercier 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 sits below South Dakota on 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.
Brown County at a glance: 1 in 21 crashes involve a garbage truck (5 since 2015), vs 1.6% across South Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 115 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Brown County. They injured 14 people and killed 6.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 38 days.
Mercier had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Brown County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (12.2% of the year) and are lowest in May (4.3%).
November through March accounts for 48.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
By time of day, 4–5 pm stands out 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
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Mercier since 2015 were spread across roads: CR-379TH Ave (1) and US-281 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 5 crashes, 4.3% of the total, against 1.6% across South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Mercier fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Brown County.
- 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 Brown County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-379TH Ave | 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 |
Mercier at a glance
| Population | 164 |
| Land area | 36.0 sq mi |
| Density | 5 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57401) | $68,835 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57401) | $227,167 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 10. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Mercier
How many truck accidents are there in Mercier?
Brown County has had 115 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 14 people and killing 6.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Mercier?
The worst month is October: 12.2% of truck crashes in Brown County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Mercier?
Garbage trucks were involved in 5 reported crashes in Brown County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Mercier compare with South Dakota?
The yearly rate is 25.7 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Brown County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Mercier?
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.