Prairie Heights, WA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Prairie Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Prairie Heights 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 |
Pierce County sits below Washington on garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
Pierce County at a glance: 2.0% of truck crashes happened on snow, slush or ice, vs 9.7% in Washington.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,807 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Pierce County. They injured 514 people and killed 87.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Prairie Heights since 2015; patterns below come from Pierce County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 7.8%.
November through March accounts for 44.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 43.8% in Washington.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (6.9%).
Road surface: 2.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Washington: 9.7%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Prairie Heights since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-161 (2), SR-167 (2), CR-200TH St E (1), CR-ORVILLE Rd (1) and CR-ORVILLE Rd E (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
44 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.6% share (Washington: 2.2%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in June (14% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 4.9 deaths compared with 3.2 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Prairie Heights fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at June schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
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) |
|---|---|
| SR-161 | 2 |
| SR-167 | 2 |
| CR-200TH St E | 1 |
| CR-ORVILLE Rd | 1 |
| CR-ORVILLE Rd E | 1 |
| CR-VALLEY Ave E | 1 |
| SR-162 | 1 |
| SR-164 | 1 |
| SR-169 | 1 |
| SR-512 | 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 |
Prairie Heights at a glance
| Land area | 3.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 98385) | $152,500 |
| Median home value (ZIP 98385) | $509,949 |
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. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 7.0 a year in 2016–19 and 8.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Prairie Heights
How many truck accidents are there in Prairie Heights?
Since 2015, 2,807 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Pierce County (514 injured, 87 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Prairie Heights?
January has the most truck crashes in Pierce County, 9.2% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Prairie Heights?
44 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Pierce County since 2015, 1.6% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Prairie Heights compared with Washington?
The yearly rate is 25.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Pierce County, vs 25.8 for Washington.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Prairie Heights?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.