Vermillion, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Vermillion: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Vermillion 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 stands out for higher injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Clay County: 1 in 18 garbage-truck share of crashes is 5.5%, against 1.6% for South Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 56 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Clay County. They injured 9 people and killed 3.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 73 days.
Vermillion had 5 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%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 34.5% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across 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 Vermillion happened on SR-50 (2), SR-12 (1) and SR-19 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 5.4% share (South Dakota: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Vermillion fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 34.5% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above South Dakota; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Clay County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-50 | 2 |
| SR-12 | 1 |
| SR-19 | 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 |
Vermillion at a glance
| Population | 11,877 |
| Land area | 4.8 sq mi |
| Density | 2,481 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57069) | $53,327 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57069) | $228,012 |
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 Vermillion
How many truck accidents are there in Vermillion?
Since 2015, 56 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Clay County (9 injured, 3 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Vermillion?
The worst month is August: 21.4% of truck crashes in Clay County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Vermillion?
Garbage trucks were involved in 3 reported crashes in Clay County since 2015 (5.4% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Vermillion compared with South Dakota?
Clay County records 32.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.0 across South Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Vermillion?
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.