SeaTac, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in SeaTac: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in SeaTac and King County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use King County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.6 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How King County compares with Washington
King County against Washington and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where King County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | King County | Washington | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 22.1 | 25.8 | 49.7 | 14% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 24% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.9% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 1.3× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.3% | 9.7% | 6.2% | 56% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.8% | 24.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.5% | 20.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.5% | 43.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 23.9% | 25.2% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Washington, King County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Washington on garbage-truck share.
SeaTac at a glance: 2.6× fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of SeaTac per year, 2020–24 vs 2016–19 (8.4 vs 3.2).
Overview
Police reported 6,019 crashes involving commercial trucks in King County since 2015: 1,063 people were injured and 156 were killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
SeaTac had 187 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use King County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (9.3% of the year) and are lowest in May (7.4%).
November through March accounts for 41.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 43.8% in Washington.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 7.4% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 4.3% of truck crashes, compared with 9.7% in Washington.
Where crashes happen
I-5 leads within 10 miles of SeaTac with 8 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-181 (7), I-405 (4) and SR-167 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 180 of the truck crashes here, or 3.0%, compared with 2.2% in Washington.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in April (12% of them).
They recorded 0.6 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for SeaTac fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in King County.
- Check whether your routes use I-5, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at April schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 King County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-5 | 8 |
| SR-181 | 7 |
| I-405 | 4 |
| SR-167 | 4 |
| SR-516 | 3 |
| SR-99 | 3 |
| SR-509 | 2 |
| 37th Ave S | 1 |
| Airport Way S | 1 |
| Albaum Blvd Sw | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (King County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-167*026.00 | 24 |
| Sr-167*024.00 | 23 |
| Sr-167*014.00 | 22 |
| Sr-18*026.30 | 19 |
| Sr-167*019.00 | 18 |
| Sr-18*002.00 | 18 |
| Sr-18*001.00 | 17 |
| Sr-18*003.00 | 16 |
SeaTac at a glance
| Population | 34,024 |
| Land area | 10.1 sq mi |
| Density | 3,381 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in King 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 | 330 | — | 10.3 |
| 2000s | 344 | +4% | 8.0 |
| 2010s | 451 | +31% | 7.2 |
| 2020s | 523 | +16% | 14.6 |
In the 1990s about 330 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 523. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 10.0 a year in 2016–19, 14.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about SeaTac
How many truck accidents are there in SeaTac?
King County has had 6,019 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,063 people and killing 156.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in SeaTac?
Since 2015, I-5 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of SeaTac: 8.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in SeaTac?
October has the most truck crashes in King County, 9.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in SeaTac?
Garbage trucks were involved in 180 reported crashes in King County since 2015 (3.0% of truck crashes).
How does SeaTac compare with Washington for truck crashes?
King County records 22.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 25.8 across Washington.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in SeaTac?
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.