Cottage Grove, WI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cottage Grove: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cottage Grove and Dane County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Dane County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Dane County compares with Wisconsin
Dane County against Wisconsin and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Dane County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Dane County | Wisconsin | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.3 | 42.6 | 49.7 | 22% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 41% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.46 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.9% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 32% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.5% | 13.4% | 6.2% | 29% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.4% | 26.9% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.6% | 16.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.9% | 44.9% | 41.9% | 9% below the state |
| After dark | 22.1% | 20.9% | 24.8% | same |
Dane County sits below Wisconsin on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Cottage Grove: I-39 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Cottage Grove: 6 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,268 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Dane County. They injured 1,025 people and killed 45.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Cottage Grove had 39 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Dane County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 9.5% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 7.2%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.9% of truck crashes, against 44.9% across Wisconsin.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 7.8% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 9.5% of truck crashes, compared with 13.4% in Wisconsin.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-39 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (6). It is followed by US-12 (3), I-94 (1) and Pflaum Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 41 crashes, 1.8% of the total, against 2.7% across Wisconsin.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in May (15%).
They recorded 0.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 2.0 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Cottage Grove fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Dane County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-39; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at May schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Dane County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-39 | 6 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| I-94 | 1 |
| Pflaum Rd | 1 |
| SR-19 | 1 |
| US-51 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Dane County) |
|---|---|
| I-039 | 695 |
| Ush 012 | 234 |
| Ush 018 | 92 |
| Ush 151 | 80 |
| Ush 051 | 80 |
| I-094 | 77 |
| Sth 019 | 59 |
| SR-039 | 44 |
Cottage Grove at a glance
| Population | 8,974 |
| Land area | 4.7 sq mi |
| Density | 1,913 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 53527) | $133,883 |
| Median home value (ZIP 53527) | $443,306 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Dane 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 | 178 | — | 4.0 |
| 2000s | 222 | +24% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 188 | -15% | 3.8 |
| 2020s | 187 | -1% | 2.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 178 a year in the 1990s and 187 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 3.8 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cottage Grove
How common are truck crashes in Cottage Grove?
Since 2015, 2,268 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Dane County (1,025 injured, 45 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Cottage Grove?
NHTSA data shows I-39 with 6 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cottage Grove since 2015, the highest of any road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cottage Grove?
January has the most truck crashes in Dane County, 9.5% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cottage Grove?
41 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dane County since 2015, 1.8% of all truck crashes.
How does Cottage Grove compare with Wisconsin for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Dane County has 33.3 truck crashes a year; Wisconsin has 42.6.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cottage Grove?
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.