Valley Springs, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Valley Springs: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Valley Springs and Minnehaha County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Minnehaha County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
16 of 509 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Minnehaha County compares with South Dakota
Minnehaha County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Minnehaha County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Minnehaha County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 20.6 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 51% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.4 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 35% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 8% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.4% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 26.7% | 28.6% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.9% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.6% | 17.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.1% | 48.8% | 41.9% | 8% below the state |
| After dark | 19.9% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 13% below the state |
Compared with South Dakota, Minnehaha County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above South Dakota on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Minnehaha County at a glance: 1 in 29 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 3.4%, vs 1.6% in South Dakota.
Overview
Minnehaha County has recorded 509 truck crashes since 2015, with 59 people injured and 18 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 9 days.
Valley Springs had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Minnehaha County numbers.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 12.2% of the yearly total, while April has the fewest (5.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.1% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 8.8% of truck crashes.
26.7% 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 Valley Springs happened on I-90 (2) and SR-42 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 16 of the truck crashes here, or 3.1%, compared with 1.6% in South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Valley Springs fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 26.9% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above South Dakota; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Minnehaha County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 2 |
| SR-42 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Minnehaha County) |
|---|---|
| I-90 | 113 |
| I-29 | 105 |
| I-229 | 26 |
| Sd Hwy 42 | 14 |
| E Benson Rd | 13 |
| Sd Hwy 11 | 13 |
| N Cliff Ave | 10 |
| E Rice St | 9 |
Valley Springs at a glance
| Population | 872 |
| Land area | 1.0 sq mi |
| Density | 885 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57068) | $112,847 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57068) | $255,906 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Minnehaha 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 | 23 | — | 1.3 |
| 2000s | 36 | +61% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 31 | -16% | 0.8 |
| 2020s | 53 | +73% | 1.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 23 to 53. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Valley Springs
How many truck accidents are there in Valley Springs?
509 truck crashes have been reported in Minnehaha County since 2015, with 18 deaths and 59 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Valley Springs?
The worst month is December: 12.2% of truck crashes in Minnehaha County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Valley Springs?
16 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Minnehaha County since 2015, 3.1% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Valley Springs compared with South Dakota?
The yearly rate is 20.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Minnehaha County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Valley Springs?
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.