Wessington Springs, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Wessington Springs: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Wessington Springs and Jerauld County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Jerauld County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 20 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Jerauld County compares with South Dakota
Jerauld County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Jerauld County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Jerauld County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 107.6 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 2.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 15.0 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.20 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 1.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 45.0% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 1.6× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 10.0% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 55% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.0% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 14% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 55.0% | 48.8% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 40.0% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 1.8× the state |
Jerauld County sits below South Dakota on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
What stands out in Jerauld County: 15.0 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 5.2 across South Dakota.
Overview
Since 2015, 20 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Jerauld County. They injured 4 people and killed 3.
That averages about one truck crash every 201 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Wessington Springs since 2015; patterns below come from Jerauld County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is December with 20.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 0.0%.
November through March accounts for 55.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 4–5 pm than at any other hour (20.0%).
45.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Wessington Springs since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-34 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
No crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Jerauld County since 2015.
Route planning tips for Wessington Springs fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 45.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above South Dakota; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- 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 Jerauld County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-34 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Jerauld County) |
|---|---|
| US-281 | 14 |
| Sd Hwy 34 | 4 |
Wessington Springs at a glance
| Population | 773 |
| Land area | 1.8 sq mi |
| Density | 429 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57382) | $79,375 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57382) | $168,479 |
Historical data: truck crashes in Jerauld 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 | 0 | — | 0.0 |
| 2000s | 1 | +180% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 2 | +43% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 2 | -25% | 0.2 |
From the 2000s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 1 to 2. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Wessington Springs
How common are truck crashes in Wessington Springs?
20 truck crashes have been reported in Jerauld County since 2015, with 3 deaths and 4 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Wessington Springs?
The worst month is December: 20.0% of truck crashes in Jerauld County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Wessington Springs?
Since 2015, Jerauld County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Wessington Springs compared with South Dakota?
Jerauld County records 107.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.0 across South Dakota.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Wessington Springs?
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.