Big Island, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Big Island: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Big Island 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 stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Bedford County: 4.3 deaths for every 100 truck crashes, against 2.6 across Virginia.
Overview
Since 2015, 330 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Bedford County. They injured 134 people and killed 14.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 12 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Big Island since 2015; patterns below come from Bedford County as a whole.
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.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (9.1%).
Road surface: 3.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Virginia: 3.0%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Big Island happened on SR-122 (1) and US-130 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
11 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.3% share (Virginia: 2.5%).
Route planning tips for Big Island fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Bedford County.
- Morning starts matter: 28.2% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Virginia.
- 3.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Virginia; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Bedford County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-122 | 1 |
| US-130 | 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 |
Big Island at a glance
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24526) | $85,729 |
| Median home value (ZIP 24526) | $228,244 |
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 |
In the 1990s about 24 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 29. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Big Island
How common are truck crashes in Big Island?
Bedford County has had 330 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 134 people and killing 14.
When do most truck crashes happen in Big Island?
January has the most truck crashes in Bedford County, 12.4% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Big Island?
11 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Bedford County since 2015, 3.3% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Big Island compare with Virginia?
Bedford County records 36.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 51.1 across Virginia.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Big Island?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.