Bethel, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bethel: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bethel and Clay County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Clay County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 56 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Clay County compares with South Dakota
Clay County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Clay County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Clay County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 32.8 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 22% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.5 | 5.2 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.5% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 3.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 7.3% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 75% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 34.5% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 1.6× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.3% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 59% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 34.5% | 48.8% | 41.9% | 29% below the state |
| After dark | 7.3% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 68% below the state |
Compared with South Dakota, Clay County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above South Dakota on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Clay County: 1 in 18 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 5.5%, vs 1.6% in South Dakota.
Overview
Clay County has recorded 56 truck crashes since 2015, with 9 people injured and 3 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 73 days.
Bethel had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Clay County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 21.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is July at 0.0%.
November through March accounts for 34.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 14.3% of truck crashes.
7.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Bethel happened on SR-50 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 3 crashes, 5.4% of the total, against 1.6% across South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Bethel fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Clay County.
- 34.5% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above South Dakota; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Clay County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-50 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Clay County) |
|---|---|
| Sd Hwy 50 | 28 |
| Sd Hwy 46 | 9 |
| Sd Hwy 19 | 7 |
| Ave | 5 |
| Compton Ct | 1 |
| Timber Rd | 1 |
Bethel at a glance
| Population | 190 |
| Land area | 35.9 sq mi |
| Density | 5 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57073) | $73,281 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57073) | $117,066 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Clay 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 | 2 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 6 | +200% | 0.2 |
| 2010s | 4 | -37% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 5 | +40% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 2 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 5. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bethel
How many truck accidents are there in Bethel?
56 truck crashes have been reported in Clay County since 2015, with 3 deaths and 9 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Bethel?
August has the most truck crashes in Clay County, 21.4% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Bethel?
Since 2015, Clay County has reported 3 garbage-truck crashes, or 5.4% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Bethel compare with South Dakota?
The yearly rate is 32.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Clay County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Bethel?
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.