Portage, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Portage: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Portage 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
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
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.
The headline for Brown County: 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.
Portage 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
October has the most truck crashes, 12.2% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (4.3%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 48.1% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
By time of day, 4–5 pm stands out with 11.3% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 14.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (South Dakota: 28.6%).
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Portage since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
5 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.3% share (South Dakota: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Portage fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
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 |
Portage at a glance
| Population | 35 |
| Land area | 35.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57446) | $44,375 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 8 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 10. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. 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 Portage
How many truck crashes happen in Portage?
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 Portage?
Truck crashes in Brown County peak in October, with 12.2% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Portage?
Garbage trucks were involved in 5 reported crashes in Brown County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Portage compared with South Dakota?
Per 100,000 residents, Brown County has 25.7 truck crashes a year; South Dakota has 42.0.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Portage?
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.