Surprise Valley, SD truck route planning & crash data

Plan safer truck routes in Surprise Valley: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Surprise Valley and Mellette County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Mellette County numbers.

Plan a safer truck route in Surprise Valley → See the most dangerous roads Free · no sign-up · built for garbage & roll-off trucks
0
truck crashes reported in Surprise Valley since 2015
15
truck crashes in Mellette County since 2015
2
deaths in Mellette County
0
garbage-truck crashes (0.0%)
1
fatal truck crashes within 10 mi, 2015–24

Where fatal truck crashes happened

Fatal crash with a large truck (bigger = more deaths) heat glow = clusters dashed = 10 mi radius 2015–2024, NHTSA FARS

Risk scorecard

0 out of 100
Low truck-crash risk
Fatal truck crashes per resident in Mellette County, 2020–2024: 0.00 per 100,000 a year, higher than 0% of US counties.
Truck crashes / 100,000 residents / yr64.4
Share in winter (Nov–Mar)31%
Garbage-truck share of crashes0.0%
South Dakota average
Plan a safer truck route in Surprise Valley
Paste your stops and get a risk score, safer alternatives, and the low bridges on your route. Free.
Open the Route Planner →

Key findings

15
reported truck crashes in Mellette County since 2015
1
fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Surprise Valley since 2015
0
garbage-truck crashes reported in Mellette County since 2015
Mellette County
too few crashes for patterns here, so this report uses Mellette County numbers

Snapshot

Crashes by month

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Darker = more crashes.

Garbage trucks vs all trucks

0.0%
0 of 15 crashes.
0 of 15 truck crashes since 2015.

Deadliest roads

SR-631

The headline for Mellette County: 15 reported truck crashes in Mellette County since 2015.

Overview

Mellette County has recorded 15 truck crashes since 2015, with 1 people injured and 2 killed.

In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 309 days.

Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Surprise Valley since 2015; patterns below come from Mellette County as a whole.

When crashes happen

There are too few truck crashes in Mellette County to show a reliable monthly pattern.

Where crashes happen

Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Surprise Valley since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-63 (1).

Garbage & waste trucks

Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Mellette County.

Route planning tips for Surprise Valley fleets

  • Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.

About the data

This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.

Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks

2005: 1 truck crash2005: 0 garbage-truck crashes2006: 2 truck crashes2006: 0 garbage-truck crashes2007: 0 truck crashes2007: 0 garbage-truck crashes2008: 1 truck crash2008: 0 garbage-truck crashes2009: 1 truck crash2009: 0 garbage-truck crashes2010: 0 truck crashes2010: 0 garbage-truck crashes2011: 1 truck crash2011: 0 garbage-truck crashes2012: 1 truck crash2012: 0 garbage-truck crashes2013: 1 truck crash2013: 0 garbage-truck crashes2014: 1 truck crash2014: 0 garbage-truck crashes2015: 2 truck crashes2015: 0 garbage-truck crashes2016: 0 truck crashes2016: 0 garbage-truck crashes2017: 1 truck crash2017: 0 garbage-truck crashes2018: 0 truck crashes2018: 0 garbage-truck crashes2019: 1 truck crash2019: 0 garbage-truck crashes2020: 1 truck crash2020: 0 garbage-truck crashes2021: 0 truck crashes2021: 0 garbage-truck crashes2022: 2 truck crashes2022: 0 garbage-truck crashes2023: 0 truck crashes2023: 0 garbage-truck crashes2024: 2 truck crashes2024: 0 garbage-truck crashes2025: 4 truck crashes2025: 0 garbage-truck crashes2026: 2 truck crashes2026: 0 garbage-truck crashes 20052008201120142017202020232026
All commercial trucksGarbage / refuse trucksincomplete reporting

Seasonality: when trucks crash in Mellette County

Jan: 6.7% of truck crashesFeb: 6.7% of truck crashesMar: 0.0% of truck crashesApr: 0.0% of truck crashesMay: 13.3% of truck crashesJun: 6.7% of truck crashesJul: 0.0% of truck crashesAug: 20.0% of truck crashesSep: 20.0% of truck crashesOct: 13.3% of truck crashesNov: 13.3% of truck crashesDec: 0.0% of truck crashes JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
All trucks (share of crashes by month)Winter (Nov–Mar)

Most dangerous roads for trucks

RoadFatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles)
SR-631

Roads named most in all truck crash reports

RoadTruck crashes since 2015 (Mellette County)
US-838
Sd Hwy 445
Ave1
Sd Hwy 531

Surprise Valley at a glance

Population15
Land area33.5 sq mi
Density0 per sq mi
Median household income (ZIP 57566)$14,176

Historical data: truck crashes in Mellette 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).

1999: 2 reported truck crashes2000: 1 reported truck crash2001: 2 reported truck crashes2005: 1 reported truck crash2006: 2 reported truck crashes2008: 1 reported truck crash2009: 1 reported truck crash2011: 1 reported truck crash2012: 1 reported truck crash2013: 1 reported truck crash2014: 1 reported truck crash2015: 2 reported truck crashes2017: 1 reported truck crash2019: 1 reported truck crash2020: 1 reported truck crash2022: 2 reported truck crashes2024: 2 reported truck crashes2025: 4 reported truck crashes 1982: 0 fatal truck crashes1983: 0 fatal truck crashes1984: 0 fatal truck crashes1985: 0 fatal truck crashes1986: 0 fatal truck crashes1987: 0 fatal truck crashes1988: 0 fatal truck crashes1989: 1 fatal truck crash1990: 0 fatal truck crashes1991: 0 fatal truck crashes1992: 0 fatal truck crashes1993: 1 fatal truck crash1994: 0 fatal truck crashes1995: 0 fatal truck crashes1996: 0 fatal truck crashes1997: 0 fatal truck crashes1998: 0 fatal truck crashes1999: 1 fatal truck crash2000: 0 fatal truck crashes2001: 0 fatal truck crashes2002: 0 fatal truck crashes2003: 1 fatal truck crash2004: 0 fatal truck crashes2005: 0 fatal truck crashes2006: 0 fatal truck crashes2007: 0 fatal truck crashes2008: 1 fatal truck crash2009: 0 fatal truck crashes2010: 0 fatal truck crashes2011: 0 fatal truck crashes2012: 0 fatal truck crashes2013: 0 fatal truck crashes2014: 0 fatal truck crashes2015: 0 fatal truck crashes2016: 0 fatal truck crashes2017: 0 fatal truck crashes2018: 0 fatal truck crashes2019: 0 fatal truck crashes2020: 0 fatal truck crashes2021: 0 fatal truck crashes2022: 0 fatal truck crashes2023: 0 fatal truck crashes2024: 0 fatal truck crashes 198519901995200020052010201520202025
All reported truck crashes in Mellette County (FMCSA)Fatal truck crashes in Mellette County (FARS, separate scale, max 1)incomplete reporting
DecadeTruck crashes / yrChangeFatal crashes / yr (FARS)
1990s2—0.2
2000s1-60%0.2
2010s1+0%0.0
2020s2+88%0.0

In the 1990s about 2 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 2. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods.

Plan a safer truck route in Surprise Valley
Paste your stops and get a risk score, safer alternatives, and the low bridges on your route. Free.
Open the Route Planner →

Nearby places

BlackpipeNew Surprise ValleyParmeleeSoldier CreekNorrisRunning BirdHorse CreekCorn CreekWhite RiverTwo StrikeMellette CountySouth Dakota

Questions fleets ask about Surprise Valley

How common are truck crashes in Surprise Valley?

Mellette County has had 15 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1 people and killing 2.

Are garbage truck crashes common in Surprise Valley?

Since 2015, Mellette County has reported 0 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.0% of its truck crashes.

How do I plan a garbage truck route in Surprise Valley?

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.