Vale, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Vale: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Vale and Butte County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Butte County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 132 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Butte County compares with South Dakota
Butte County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Butte County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Butte County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 101.0 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 2.4× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.5 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 52% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.17 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 24.0% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 16% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 7% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 14.1% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 20% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.3% | 48.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 25.6% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Butte County sits below South Dakota on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above South Dakota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and after dark.
What stands out in Butte County: 0 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.0%, against 1.6% for South Dakota.
Overview
Police reported 132 crashes involving commercial trucks in Butte County since 2015: 23 people were injured and 3 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 33 days.
Vale had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Butte County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in February (12.1% of the year) and are lowest in May (3.8%).
November through March accounts for 46.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 9.8% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 24.0% of truck crashes, compared with 28.6% in South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Vale happened on SR-79 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Butte County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Vale fleets
- Plan February schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Butte County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Butte County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-79 | 3 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Butte County) |
|---|---|
| US-85 | 44 |
| US-212 | 43 |
| Sd Hwy 34 | 19 |
| Sd Hwy 79 | 12 |
| Sd Hwy 168 | 7 |
| 3Vvv Rd | 1 |
| 5Th Ave | 1 |
| 6Th Ave | 1 |
Vale at a glance
| Population | 122 |
| Land area | 1.5 sq mi |
| Density | 82 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57788) | $85,380 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Butte 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 | 5 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 5 | +4% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 10 | +100% | 0.1 |
| 2020s | 10 | +4% | 0.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 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 crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Vale
How common are truck crashes in Vale?
132 truck crashes have been reported in Butte County since 2015, with 3 deaths and 23 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Vale?
Truck crashes in Butte County peak in February, with 12.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Vale?
Since 2015, Butte County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Vale compare with South Dakota?
The yearly rate is 101.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Butte County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Vale?
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.