Bedford, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bedford: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bedford and Bedford County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Bedford County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
11 of 330 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Bedford County compares with Virginia
Bedford County against Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Bedford County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Bedford County | Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 36.1 | 51.1 | 49.7 | 29% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.7× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.1% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 1.2× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.4% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 1.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.2% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.7% | 14.8% | 13.8% | 21% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.5% | 39.8% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 18.1% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 25% below the state |
Bedford County has lower values than Virginia for crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark. It runs above Virginia on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Bedford: US-460 4 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Bedford.
Overview
Bedford County has recorded 330 truck crashes since 2015, with 134 people injured and 14 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 12 days.
Bedford had 17 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Bedford County numbers.
88% of truck crash reports in Bedford County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 12.4% of the yearly total, while August has the fewest (5.5%).
November through March accounts for 44.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 39.8% in Virginia.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 3.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Virginia: 3.0%).
Where crashes happen
US-460 leads within 10 miles of Bedford with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-43 (2), SR-122 (1) and US-221 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 11 of the truck crashes here, or 3.3%, compared with 2.5% in Virginia.
Route planning tips for Bedford fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use US-460, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Morning starts matter: 28.2% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Virginia.
- With 3.4% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Virginia), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Bedford County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-460 | 4 |
| SR-43 | 2 |
| SR-122 | 1 |
| US-221 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Bedford County) |
|---|---|
| SR-460 | 66 |
| SR-122 | 23 |
| SR-221 | 13 |
| SR-24 | 11 |
| Route 460 East | 8 |
| SR-501 | 8 |
| Route 460 West | 6 |
| Rt. 460 | 6 |
Bedford at a glance
| Population | 7,823 |
| Land area | 11.1 sq mi |
| Density | 705 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24523) | $73,957 |
| Median home value (ZIP 24523) | $242,197 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Bedford 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 | 24 | — | 1.5 |
| 2000s | 28 | +16% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 28 | +2% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 29 | +2% | 1.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 24 a year in the 1990s and 29 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.8 a year in 2016–19, 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bedford
How common are truck crashes in Bedford?
Bedford County has had 330 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 134 people and killing 14.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Bedford?
NHTSA data shows US-460 with 4 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Bedford since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Bedford?
Truck crashes in Bedford County peak in January, with 12.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Bedford?
Since 2015, Bedford County has reported 11 garbage-truck crashes, or 3.3% of its truck crashes.
How does Bedford compare with Virginia for truck crashes?
Bedford County records 36.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 51.1 across Virginia.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Bedford?
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.