Oak Gulch, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Oak Gulch: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Oak Gulch and Day County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Day County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 53 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Day County compares with South Dakota
Day County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Day County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Day County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 80.7 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 1.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.1 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 60% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 8% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 27.1% | 28.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.9% | 22.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.4% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 41% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 35.4% | 48.8% | 41.9% | 27% below the state |
| After dark | 25.0% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with South Dakota, Day County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and after dark.
The headline for Day County: February worst month: 15.1% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 53 crashes involving commercial trucks in Day County since 2015: 7 people were injured and 2 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 84 days in fully reported years.
Oak Gulch had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Day County numbers.
When crashes happen
February has the most truck crashes, 15.1% of the yearly total, while November has the fewest (1.9%).
November through March accounts for 35.4% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
The busiest hour is 11 am–12 pm, with 13.2% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 27.1% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (South Dakota: 28.6%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Oak Gulch since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-20 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 1 crash, 1.9% of the total, against 1.6% across South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Oak Gulch fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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 Day County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-20 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Day County) |
|---|---|
| US-12 | 39 |
| Sd Hwy 25 | 4 |
| Ave | 1 |
| Main Street | 1 |
| Sd Hwy 27 | 1 |
Oak Gulch at a glance
| Population | 24 |
| Land area | 34.6 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57434) | $73,393 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Day 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 | 3 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 3 | +7% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 5 | +53% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 5 | +5% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 3 a year in the 1990s and 5 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Oak Gulch
How common are truck crashes in Oak Gulch?
Day County has had 53 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 7 people and killing 2.
When do most truck crashes happen in Oak Gulch?
Truck crashes in Day County peak in February, with 15.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Oak Gulch?
Since 2015, Day County has reported 1 garbage-truck crash, or 1.9% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Oak Gulch compare with South Dakota?
Per 100,000 residents, Day County has 80.7 truck crashes a year; South Dakota has 42.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Oak Gulch?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.