Pelican, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Pelican: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Pelican and Codington County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Codington County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 133 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Codington County compares with South Dakota
Codington County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Codington County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Codington County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 37.3 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 11% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.0 | 5.2 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 31% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.6× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 31.7% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.5% | 22.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.0% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 14% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.0% | 48.8% | 41.9% | 8% below the state |
| After dark | 17.5% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 23% below the state |
Codington County has lower values than South Dakota for crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and in rain, sleet or snow. It runs above South Dakota on garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
Codington County at a glance: 1 in 40 crashes involve a garbage truck (3 since 2015), vs 1.6% across South Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 133 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Codington County. They injured 12 people and killed 6.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 33 days.
Pelican had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Codington County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 12.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 4.5%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.0% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (9.8%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 31.7% 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 Pelican happened on US-212 (2), 20 Ave (1) and SR-20 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 2.3%, compared with 1.6% in South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Pelican fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 31.7% of truck crashes here, more than South Dakota; schedule winter checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Codington County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-212 | 2 |
| 20 Ave | 1 |
| SR-20 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Codington County) |
|---|---|
| US-212 | 37 |
| I-29 | 31 |
| Sd Hwy 20 | 14 |
| Ave Se | 10 |
| US-81 | 10 |
| Ave | 7 |
| Ave Ne | 3 |
| St Se | 3 |
Pelican at a glance
| Population | 764 |
| Land area | 29.7 sq mi |
| Density | 26 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57201) | $72,878 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57201) | $239,595 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Codington 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 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 10 | +28% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 9 | -9% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 13 | +45% | 1.2 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 13. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Pelican
How many truck accidents are there in Pelican?
Since 2015, 133 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Codington County (12 injured, 6 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Pelican?
Truck crashes in Codington County peak in March, with 12.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Pelican?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Codington County since 2015, 2.3% of all truck crashes.
How does Pelican compare with South Dakota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 37.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Codington County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Pelican?
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.