Key Center, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Key Center: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Key Center and Pierce County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pierce County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.9 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Pierce County compares with Washington
Pierce County against Washington and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pierce County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pierce County | Washington | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 25.4 | 25.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.6% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 29% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 2.0% | 9.7% | 6.2% | 79% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.5% | 24.8% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 21.5% | 20.2% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.0% | 43.8% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.9% | 25.2% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with Washington, Pierce County is lower on garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Pierce County: 2.0% on snowy, slushy or icy roads, against 9.7% across Washington.
Overview
Police reported 2,807 crashes involving commercial trucks in Pierce County since 2015: 514 people were injured and 87 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 2 days.
Key Center had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Pierce County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 7.8%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 44.0% of truck crashes, vs 43.8% for Washington.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (6.9%).
2.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.7% across Washington.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Key Center since 2015: CR-118TH Ave Nw (1), CR-E North Island Dr (1), CR-E Pickering Rd (1), CR-KEY Peninsula Hwy Nw (1) and CR-NE Belfair Tahuya Rd (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 44 crashes, 1.6% of the total, against 2.2% across Washington.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in June (14%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 4.9, vs 3.2 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Key Center fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Waste haulers: June is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Pierce 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 Pierce County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-118TH Ave Nw | 1 |
| CR-E North Island Dr | 1 |
| CR-E Pickering Rd | 1 |
| CR-KEY Peninsula Hwy Nw | 1 |
| CR-NE Belfair Tahuya Rd | 1 |
| SR-16 | 1 |
| SR-3 | 1 |
| SR-300 | 1 |
| SR-302 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pierce County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-512*001.00 | 30 |
| Sr-167*006.00 | 19 |
| Sr-167*010.00 | 17 |
| Sr-167*007.00 | 16 |
| Sr-509*002.00 | 15 |
| Sr-167*008.00 | 14 |
| Sr-167*009.00 | 13 |
| Sr-16*001.00 | 13 |
Key Center at a glance
| Land area | 14.6 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pierce 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 | 100 | — | 4.5 |
| 2000s | 147 | +47% | 5.4 |
| 2010s | 200 | +36% | 4.5 |
| 2020s | 246 | +23% | 8.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 100 a year in the 1990s and 246 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 7.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 8.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Key Center
How many truck accidents are there in Key Center?
2,807 truck crashes have been reported in Pierce County since 2015, with 87 deaths and 514 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Key Center?
January has the most truck crashes in Pierce County, 9.2% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Key Center?
44 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Pierce County since 2015, 1.6% of all truck crashes.
How does Key Center compare with Washington for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 25.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Pierce County, vs 25.8 for Washington.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Key Center?
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.