Big Stone Gap, VA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Big Stone Gap: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Big Stone Gap and Wise County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Wise County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 175 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Wise County compares with Virginia
Wise County against Virginia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Wise County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Wise County | Virginia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 43.2 | 51.1 | 49.7 | 15% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 31% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.66 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 53% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.2% | 3.0% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.7% | 22.7% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.9% | 14.8% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 47.0% | 39.8% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 24.1% | 24.3% | 24.8% | same |
Wise County sits below Virginia on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: injuries per crash, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Wise County: 1 in 83 crashes involve a garbage truck (2 since 2015), vs 2.5% across Virginia.
Overview
Police reported 175 crashes involving commercial trucks in Wise County since 2015: 113 people were injured and 3 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 24 days in fully reported years.
With 3 truck crashes reported in Big Stone Gap since 2015, this page uses Wise County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
77% of truck crash reports in Wise County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 13.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is July at 5.1%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 47.0% of truck crashes, against 39.8% across Virginia.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 10.9% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 4.2% 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 Stone Gap happened on SR-600 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.1% share (Virginia: 2.5%).
Route planning tips for Big Stone Gap fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- 4.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Virginia; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Wise County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-600 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Wise County) |
|---|---|
| SR-23 | 49 |
| SR-58A | 15 |
| Rt. 23 | 11 |
| Rt. 652 | 5 |
| Rt.23/ Orby Cantrell Hwy | 4 |
| Route 23 North | 3 |
| Rt. 58A | 3 |
| SR-646 | 3 |
Big Stone Gap at a glance
| Population | 5,087 |
| Land area | 4.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,060 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Wise 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 | 20 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 26 | +25% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 21 | -18% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 14 | -33% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 20 a year in the 1990s and 14 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.5 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Big Stone Gap
How many truck crashes happen in Big Stone Gap?
Wise County has had 175 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 113 people and killing 3.
When do most truck crashes happen in Big Stone Gap?
Truck crashes in Wise County peak in March, with 13.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Big Stone Gap?
Since 2015, Wise County has reported 2 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.1% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Big Stone Gap compare with Virginia?
Wise County records 43.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 51.1 across Virginia.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Big Stone Gap?
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.