ZIP 18234 (Lattimer Mines, PA) truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes around ZIP 18234: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes here and in Luzerne County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.0 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Luzerne County compares with Pennsylvania
Luzerne County against Pennsylvania and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Luzerne County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 74.6 | 57.2 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 23% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.46 | 0.47 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.0% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 17% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.4% | 9.1% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.9% | 24.5% | 23.7% | 11% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 17.8% | 19.0% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.9% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Compared with Pennsylvania, Luzerne County is lower on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Pennsylvania on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
The headline for Luzerne County: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes: 17% of them.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,881 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Luzerne County. They injured 1,313 people and killed 56.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in December (9.3% of the year) and are lowest in November (7.0%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 43.0% of truck crashes, vs 42.7% for Pennsylvania.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 7.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 10.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Pennsylvania: 9.1%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of ZIP 18234 is I-80, with 10 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by I-81 (3), SR-924 (2) and SR-8017 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 82 of the truck crashes here, or 2.8%, compared with 3.6% in Pennsylvania.
Their busiest month is December, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.7, vs 2.0 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for ZIP 18234 fleets
- Review driver schedules for December, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-80; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- With 10.4% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Pennsylvania), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Luzerne County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 10 |
| I-81 | 3 |
| SR-924 | 2 |
| SR-8017 | 1 |
| SR-93 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Luzerne County) |
|---|---|
| I-0081 | 818 |
| I-0080 | 562 |
| SR-0309 | 167 |
| I-7476 | 113 |
| SR-0315 | 104 |
| SR-0093 | 95 |
| SR-0924 | 86 |
| SR-0011 | 75 |
ZIP 18234 at a glance
| Population | 616 |
| Density | 940 per sq mi |
| Median household income | $30,949 |
| Home ownership | 58% |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Luzerne 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 | 147 | — | 4.4 |
| 2000s | 194 | +32% | 4.6 |
| 2010s | 182 | -6% | 3.2 |
| 2020s | 257 | +41% | 3.8 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 147 a year in the 1990s and 257 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 2.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 3.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby ZIP codes
Questions fleets ask about ZIP 18234
How many truck accidents are there in ZIP 18234?
2,881 truck crashes have been reported in Luzerne County since 2015, with 56 deaths and 1,313 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in ZIP 18234?
I-80 had 10 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of ZIP 18234 since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in ZIP 18234?
December has the most truck crashes in Luzerne County, 9.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in ZIP 18234?
82 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Luzerne County since 2015, 2.8% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in ZIP 18234 compare with Pennsylvania?
The yearly rate is 74.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Luzerne County, vs 57.2 for Pennsylvania.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in ZIP 18234?
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.