Chelsea, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Chelsea: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Chelsea and Spink County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Spink County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 47 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Spink County compares with South Dakota
Spink County against South Dakota and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Spink County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Spink County | South Dakota | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.5 | 42.0 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 5.2 | 3.4 | 17% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.33 | 0.13 | 0.49 | 2.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.2% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.4% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 39% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 17.4% | 22.2% | 23.7% | 22% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.7% | 17.5% | 13.8% | 50% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.6% | 48.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.4% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 24% below the state |
Spink County sits below South Dakota on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
The headline for Spink County: October the month with the most truck crashes: 17.0% of the year's total.
Overview
Spink County has recorded 47 truck crashes since 2015, with 15 people injured and 2 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 87 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Chelsea since 2015; patterns below come from Spink County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (17.0% of the year) and are lowest in April (2.1%).
November through March accounts for 45.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 48.8% in South Dakota.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 12.8% of truck crashes.
17.4% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 28.6% across South Dakota.
Where crashes happen
No fatal crash involving a large truck has a recorded location within 10 miles of Chelsea since 2015.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.1% share (South Dakota: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Chelsea fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Spink County.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Spink 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 (Spink County) |
|---|---|
| US-281 | 18 |
| Sd Hwy 37 | 7 |
| US-212 | 6 |
| Sd Hwy 20 | 3 |
| Ave | 2 |
| Sd Hwy 26 | 2 |
| 183Rd St | 1 |
| 1St St | 1 |
Chelsea at a glance
| Population | 19 |
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Density | 60 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57465) | $120,250 |
| Median home value (ZIP 57465) | $129,161 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Spink 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 | — | 0.2 |
| 2000s | 3 | -35% | 0.2 |
| 2010s | 6 | +71% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 4 | -25% | 0.2 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 4. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.0 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Chelsea
How common are truck crashes in Chelsea?
47 truck crashes have been reported in Spink County since 2015, with 2 deaths and 15 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Chelsea?
The worst month is October: 17.0% of truck crashes in Spink County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Chelsea?
1 crash involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Spink County since 2015, 2.1% of all truck crashes.
How does Chelsea compare with South Dakota for truck crashes?
Spink County records 68.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.0 across South Dakota.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Chelsea?
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.