McFarland, WI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in McFarland: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in McFarland 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.
The headline for McFarland: I-39 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of McFarland: 5 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.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
With 2 truck crashes reported in McFarland since 2015, this page uses Dane County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 9.5% of the yearly total, while March has the fewest (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.
Road surface: 9.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Wisconsin: 13.4%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-39 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (5). It is followed by US-12 (2), Mineral Point Rd (1) and Pflaum Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
41 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.8% share (Wisconsin: 2.7%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in May (15% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 2.0 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for McFarland fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use I-39, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in May; review collection routes for that month.
- 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 | 5 |
| US-12 | 2 |
| Mineral Point Rd | 1 |
| Pflaum Rd | 1 |
| US-14 | 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 |
McFarland at a glance
| Population | 9,224 |
| Land area | 4.9 sq mi |
| Density | 1,900 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 53558) | $107,609 |
| Median home value (ZIP 53558) | $404,884 |
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. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.8 a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about McFarland
How common are truck crashes in McFarland?
Dane County has had 2,268 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,025 people and killing 45.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in McFarland?
NHTSA data shows I-39 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of McFarland since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in McFarland?
The worst month is January: 9.5% of truck crashes in Dane County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in McFarland?
41 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dane County since 2015, 1.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in McFarland compared with Wisconsin?
Dane County records 33.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 42.6 across Wisconsin.
How can I plan a safer truck route in McFarland?
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.