Vail, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Vail: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Vail and Perkins County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Perkins County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 21 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Perkins County compares with South Dakota
Perkins County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Perkins County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Perkins County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 67.4 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 0.0 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 100% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.05 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 62% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 3.0× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 23.8% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.1% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.8% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.6% | 48.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 14.3% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 37% below the state |
Compared with South Dakota, Perkins County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Perkins County: 1 in 21 garbage-truck share of crashes is 4.8%, against 1.6% for South Dakota.
Overview
Police reported 21 crashes involving commercial trucks in Perkins County since 2015: 1 people were injured and 0 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 191 days in fully reported years.
Vail had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Perkins County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in September (19.0% of the year) and are lowest in January (0.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 47.6% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (23.8%).
23.8% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
NHTSA lists no located fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Vail since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 1 of the truck crashes here, or 4.8%, compared with 1.6% in South Dakota.
Route planning tips for Vail fleets
- Plan September schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Perkins County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Perkins County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Perkins County) |
|---|---|
| Sd Hwy 73 | 7 |
| Bixby Rd | 4 |
| Sd Hwy 75 | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| Ave | 2 |
| Sd Hwy 20 | 2 |
Vail at a glance
| Population | 13 |
| Land area | 35.8 sq mi |
| Density | 0 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57649) | $84,500 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Perkins 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 | 5 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 2 | -66% | 0.1 |
| 2010s | 4 | +111% | 0.0 |
| 2020s | 1 | -74% | 0.0 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 1. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Vail
How common are truck crashes in Vail?
Since 2015, 21 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Perkins County (1 injured, 0 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Vail?
Truck crashes in Perkins County peak in September, with 19.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Vail?
Garbage trucks were involved in 1 reported crash in Perkins County since 2015 (4.8% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Vail compared with South Dakota?
Perkins County records 67.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.0 across South Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Vail?
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.