Cave Spring, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cave Spring: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cave Spring and Roanoke County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Roanoke County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
8 of 942 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Roanoke County compares with Virginia
Roanoke County against Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Roanoke County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Roanoke County | Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 82.5 | 51.1 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.36 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 18% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.9% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 64% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 3.5% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 17.9% | 22.7% | 23.7% | 21% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.5% | 14.8% | 13.8% | 16% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.5% | 39.8% | 41.9% | 8% below the state |
| After dark | 28.1% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with Virginia, Roanoke County is lower on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
Roanoke County at a glance: 1 in 110 crashes involve a garbage truck (8 since 2015), vs 2.5% across Virginia.
Overview
Roanoke County has recorded 942 truck crashes since 2015, with 336 people injured and 27 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 5 days in fully reported years.
Cave Spring had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Roanoke County numbers.
85% of truck crash reports in Roanoke County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 10.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 6.3%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 36.5% of truck crashes, against 39.8% across Virginia.
More truck crashes happen at 5–6 pm than at any other hour (7.1%).
3.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 3.0% across Virginia.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Cave Spring is I-81, with 9 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by US-460 (3), US-220 (2) and CR-678 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
8 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.8% share (Virginia: 2.5%).
Route planning tips for Cave Spring fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-81 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 3.5% of truck crashes here, more than Virginia; schedule winter 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 Roanoke County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 9 |
| US-460 | 3 |
| US-220 | 2 |
| CR-678 | 1 |
| Glade View | 1 |
| Mu-149 Washington Ave | 1 |
| Roanoke Blvd | 1 |
| SR-116 | 1 |
| SR-419 | 1 |
| US-11 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Roanoke County) |
|---|---|
| I-81 | 310 |
| Franklin Rd | 77 |
| I-81 North | 52 |
| I-81 South | 35 |
| Challenger Ave | 30 |
| West Main St | 27 |
| I-81Sb | 19 |
| Plantation Rd | 17 |
Cave Spring at a glance
| Land area | 11.9 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 24018) | $90,885 |
| Median home value (ZIP 24018) | $346,534 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Roanoke 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 | 29 | — | 1.5 |
| 2000s | 48 | +67% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 54 | +13% | 0.9 |
| 2020s | 104 | +93% | 2.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 29 to 104. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cave Spring
How common are truck crashes in Cave Spring?
942 truck crashes have been reported in Roanoke County since 2015, with 27 deaths and 336 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Cave Spring?
Since 2015, I-81 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cave Spring: 9.
When do most truck crashes happen in Cave Spring?
October has the most truck crashes in Roanoke County, 10.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cave Spring?
Garbage trucks were involved in 8 reported crashes in Roanoke County since 2015 (0.8% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Cave Spring compared with Virginia?
Roanoke County records 82.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 51.1 across Virginia.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Cave Spring?
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.