Truck accident statistics for Polk County, Iowa (2020-2024)

Truck accident deaths in Polk County by year

Annual truck accident deaths were 5 in 2020, 6 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 5 in 2023 and 2 in 2024. The highest count was 6 in 2021, and the lowest was 2 in 2024. The 2024 count was 3 deaths lower than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The corresponding shares of all traffic deaths were 13.2%, 13.3%, 12.1%, 12.8% and 4.3%, respectively. All traffic deaths numbered 38 in 2020, 45 in 2021, 33 in 2022, 39 in 2023 and 47 in 2024. Thus, 2024 had the highest all-traffic death count in the period while recording the lowest truck accident death count and share.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.

Who died in Polk County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 0 deaths, or 0.0%. People in other vehicles accounted for 20 deaths, or 90.9%, the largest share of truck accident deaths. The row labeled "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" accounted for 2 deaths, or 9.1%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

That quoted label identifies the FARS nonoccupant grouping, which includes pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. The other category can include occupants of motor vehicles not in transport, such as parked vehicles. It is therefore a person-type classification rather than a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

The vehicle records identify 20 large trucks in fatal crashes during 2020 through 2024. Truck-tractors, described as semi or tractor-trailer units, numbered 10 and represented 50.0% of those large trucks. Single-unit and other large trucks numbered 10. Large trucks recorded as jackknifed numbered 0.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

These are vehicle counts, distinct from the truck accident death counts and fatal crash counts. A crash can involve multiple large trucks. The truck-tractor percentage uses large trucks as its denominator; it does not state a share of people killed or a share of fatal crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

Counts are trucks, not crashes. One crash can involve more than one large truck.

How the fatal truck crashes happened

Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Angle (side impact) accounted for 8 deaths, or 36.4%; head-on for 4, or 18.2%; rear-end for 6, or 27.3%; and sideswipe for 2, or 9.1%. "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" accounted for 2 deaths, or 9.1%. That row means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, with examples including a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle, fixed object or rollover. A vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separately, truck accident deaths by vehicle configuration were single-vehicle: 2, or 9.1%; two-vehicle: 16, or 72.7%; and three or more vehicles: 4, or 18.2%. Configuration and manner of collision are different classifications.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate-coded truck accident deaths numbered 8, or 36.4%. The listed route-coded counts were I-80: 3; I-35: 3; I-235: 1; and I-38: 1. These figures use ROUTE=1 and a parseable interstate route number in TWAY_ID. The listed routes are the packet's route-coded subset, not a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime truck accident deaths numbered 11, or 50.0%, and nighttime deaths numbered 11, or 50.0%. Daytime covers 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.; nighttime covers 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m. Urban deaths numbered 19, or 86.4%, while rural deaths numbered 3, or 13.6%. The work-zone count was 1 death, a count of deaths rather than trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with Iowa and the United States

Polk County's truck accident death rate was 0.9 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. Iowa's rate was 2.2, and the national rate was 1.6. The county rate was lower than both. The associated death counts were 22 for Polk County, 352 for Iowa and 27,553 for the United States. No neighboring county rates are listed in the supplied figures.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

These rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates and do not adjust for miles driven or visitors. When reading with the phrase "truck accident lawyer" in mind, keep the grouping clear: these are crash-location counts, not counts based on where the people killed lived.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.

About these figures

FARS is NHTSA's census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Inclusion requires a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and an occupant or nonoccupant death within 30 days. Counts follow the crash's county, not the deceased person's residence. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded.^[9][6][7][8]

The 2020 through 2023 records are Final Files; 2024 uses the revisable Annual Report File. Rates divide 2020 through 2024 deaths by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025, then multiply by 100,000. The result is average annual deaths per 100,000 residents, without adjustment for miles driven or visitors. The separately shown July 1, 2024 population estimate is not the rate denominator.^[9][6][7][8]

See also

On related publications

• Car accident statistics for Polk County, Iowa (2020-2024) (caraccidentlawyers.wiki)