Great Bend, SD truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Great Bend: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Great Bend 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 has lower values than South Dakota for deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above South Dakota on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
Spink County at a glance: October worst month: 17.0% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Spink County has recorded 47 truck crashes since 2015, with 15 people injured and 2 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 87 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Great Bend 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%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 45.6% of truck crashes, against 48.8% across South Dakota.
More truck crashes happen at 1–2 pm than at any other hour (12.8%).
Road surface: 17.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (South Dakota: 28.6%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Great Bend.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.1% share (South Dakota: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Great Bend 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
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 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 |
Great Bend at a glance
| Population | 38 |
| Land area | 36.0 sq mi |
| Density | 1 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 57424) | $75,000 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 4. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Great Bend
How many truck crashes happen in Great Bend?
Spink County has had 47 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 15 people and killing 2.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Great Bend?
Truck crashes in Spink County peak in October, with 17.0% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Great Bend?
1 crash involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Spink County since 2015, 2.1% of all truck crashes.
How does Great Bend compare with South Dakota for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 68.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Spink County, vs 42.0 for South Dakota.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Great Bend?
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.