Alta, UT truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Alta: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Alta and Salt Lake County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Salt Lake County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Salt Lake County compares with Utah
Salt Lake County against Utah and the US, 2015–2024 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Salt Lake County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2024) | Salt Lake County | Utah | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.0 | 35.6 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 56% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.44 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 1.4× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.6% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 38% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.7% | 23.6% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 13.0% | 15.8% | 13.8% | 18% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.2% | 43.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.0% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 21% below the state |
Salt Lake County sits below Utah on deaths per 100 crashes, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Alta: US-40 deadliest road: 3 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Alta since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 4,376 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Salt Lake County. They injured 1,905 people and killed 88.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Only 1 truck crash was reported in Alta since 2015; patterns below come from Salt Lake County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (10.0% of the year) and are lowest in March (7.2%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.2% of truck crashes, vs 43.0% for Utah.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 8.8% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 5.6% of truck crashes, compared with 9.0% in Utah.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Alta is US-40, with 3 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: SR-190 (1), SR-210 (1) and SR-248 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 89 of the truck crashes here, or 2.0%, compared with 1.5% in Utah.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in January (11% of them).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Alta fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Salt Lake County.
- Look at alternatives to US-40 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: January is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Salt Lake 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.
Reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2023 and 2025; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Salt Lake County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-40 | 3 |
| SR-190 | 1 |
| SR-210 | 1 |
| SR-248 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Salt Lake County) |
|---|---|
| I-15 | 481 |
| I-15, At - | 230 |
| I-80 | 230 |
| I-80, At - | 109 |
| South | 109 |
| I-215 | 98 |
| SR-201 | 89 |
| West | 62 |
Alta at a glance
| Population | 228 |
| Land area | 4.5 sq mi |
| Density | 50 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 84121) | $115,515 |
| Median home value (ZIP 84121) | $660,505 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Salt Lake 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 | 330 | — | 6.5 |
| 2000s | 412 | +25% | 4.5 |
| 2010s | 433 | +5% | 5.2 |
| 2020s | 299 | -31% | 8.0 |
In the 1990s about 330 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 299. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 5.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 8.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Alta
How common are truck crashes in Alta?
4,376 truck crashes have been reported in Salt Lake County since 2015, with 88 deaths and 1,905 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Alta?
US-40 had 3 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Alta since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Alta?
The worst month is August: 10.0% of truck crashes in Salt Lake County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Alta?
89 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Salt Lake County since 2015, 2.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Alta compare with Utah for truck crashes?
Salt Lake County records 34.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 35.6 across Utah.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Alta?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2023 and 2025; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.