Cougar, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cougar: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cougar and Cowlitz County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cowlitz County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
13 of 597 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
No fatal large-truck crashes with a road name recorded here since 2015.
How Cowlitz County compares with Washington
Cowlitz County against Washington and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cowlitz County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cowlitz County | Washington | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 44.8 | 25.8 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 26% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.2% | 9.7% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.6% | 24.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 29.0% | 20.2% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.0% | 43.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 32.2% | 25.2% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Cowlitz County sits below Washington on deaths per 100 crashes. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, in rain, sleet or snow and after dark.
What stands out in Cowlitz County: 29.0% share of truck crashes in rain, sleet or snow (Washington: 20.2%).
Overview
Police reported 597 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cowlitz County since 2015: 109 people were injured and 14 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 7 days.
Cougar had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Cowlitz County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is May with 10.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is August at 6.5%.
November through March accounts for 45.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 43.8% in Washington.
By time of day, 10–11 am stands out with 7.5% of truck crashes.
9.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.7% across Washington.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, no fatal large-truck crashes with a location were recorded within 10 miles of Cougar.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 13 of the truck crashes here, or 2.2%, compared with 2.2% in Washington.
Route planning tips for Cougar fleets
- Plan May schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Cowlitz County.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Cowlitz County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
No fatal crashes involving a large truck with a road name were recorded within 10 miles since 2015.
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cowlitz County) |
|---|---|
| Industrial Way | 8 |
| Sr-432*010.00 | 6 |
| 3Rd Ave Blk 500 | 4 |
| I-5 Mp 054.10 | 3 |
| Sr-432*004.40 | 3 |
| Sr-432*004.50 | 3 |
| Sr-433*001.00 | 3 |
| Tennant Way Blk 600 | 3 |
Cougar at a glance
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 98603) | $78,281 |
| Median home value (ZIP 98603) | $460,442 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cowlitz 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 | 26 | — | 1.2 |
| 2000s | 37 | +40% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 43 | +18% | 0.9 |
| 2020s | 56 | +29% | 1.0 |
In the 1990s about 26 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 56. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.5 a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cougar
How many truck crashes happen in Cougar?
Cowlitz County has had 597 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 109 people and killing 14.
When do most truck crashes happen in Cougar?
The worst month is May: 10.7% of truck crashes in Cowlitz County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Cougar?
Since 2015, Cowlitz County has reported 13 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.2% of its truck crashes.
How does Cougar compare with Washington for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 44.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cowlitz County, vs 25.8 for Washington.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cougar?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.