Are fatal collisions rising in Idaho? Here’s what the state’s data says
This year began with two fatal collisions in the Treasure Valley involving impaired driving — within two days of each other.
Shortly after midnight on Jan. 19, a two-vehicle crash near downtown Nampa left a 44-year-old man dead. A day later, on the evening of Jan. 20, a six-vehicle crash along the Interstate 184 Connector in Boise killed a 32-year-old woman. Both crashes were caused by drivers under the influence, according to state police.
The number of fatal crashes in Idaho was the highest it’s been in at least 10 years, according to an analysis by the Idaho Statesman using Idaho Transportation Department data. The state reported 240 fatal collisions in 2021.
With a population boom in Idaho, the number of vehicles on the road is also rising. In Idaho, roughly 1.3 million drivers were on the road in 2018, according to data from Idaho’s Department of Motor Vehicles of the state’s licensed drivers — a 19% rise since 2009. Idaho was the fastest-growing state last year and the second-fastest-growing state in the past 10 years, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
This comes at a time when traffic fatalities overall were at a 15-year high last year. Preliminary data indicate there were at least 258 people killed in crashes last year, the most in any year since 2006. But overall, fatal crashes make up less than 1% of the state’s annual collisions.
“Nationally during the pandemic, there was an increase in fatalities, and here in Idaho, we weren’t immune from that either,” Bill Kotowski, a grant officer with the state’s Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety, told the Statesman by phone.
Crashes more often fatal with impaired driving
Impaired drivers cause a small portion of the 20,000-plus crashes that occur annually throughout Idaho. But when crashes are serious — or worse, fatal — impaired drivers make up a bigger piece of the picture.
Last year, there were 27,384 crashes in Idaho, according to preliminary data from the Idaho Transportation Department. Of those, only 6% were attributed to an impaired driver. But of the 239 fatal crashes that occurred last year, almost 37% of them were because of individuals driving under the influence. That includes driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“While they’re not getting in as many crashes overall, the crashes they get in are really bad,” Kotowski said.
But Idaho hasn’t seen a significant increase in fatal collisions caused by impaired drivers. In 2021 there were 89 fatal crashes due to impairment, according to preliminary state data. That’s the highest number of crashes since 2013 — there were 90 crashes that year.
In the past three years, the state totaled 254 fatal impaired driving crashes, an uptick from the 239 total from 2016 to 2018.
Fatal collisions most common in Ada, Canyon counties
In both 2019 and 2021, statistically, a person was killed every four days in an impaired driving crash, according to the annual Idaho Traffic Crashes reports.
The largest group of fatal collisions and impaired driving crashes occurred in Ada and Canyon counties, according to state data. The two most populous counties have also seen massive growth in the past 10 years, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Kootenai County, home to Coeur d’Alene, ranks as the third-highest county for fatal crashes overall and impaired driving in Idaho.
Kotowski emphasized it has never been easier to get a ride home without driving under the influence. Between ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft or the ability to walk home, Kotowski said, “there are not a lot of excuses left” for people to drive impaired.
“Anytime someone chooses to drive a vehicle, whether under the influence of an intoxicating substance via alcohol or anything else, they create a danger for everyone else on the road around them,” Kotowski said. “It cost people their lives.”
Impaired driving can refer to substances from alcohol to marijuana, opioids, methamphetamine or any potentially impairing drug — whether it’s prescribed or over the counter, according to ITD.
“Our message … is pretty consistent that if it inhibits your ability to operate safely, operate a motor vehicle, then you shouldn’t do it and get behind the wheel,” Kotowski said.
Treasure Valley leads in impaired driving
Though it was too early to see a trend, so far this year, Idaho had counted 38 fatal crashes as of April 4, Kotowski said. There were about 44 fatalities around the same time period last year, he said.
Five fatal crashes were due to impaired driving in Idaho so far this year, according to preliminary ITD data. Of those, three occurred in the Treasure Valley.
The Treasure Valley’s fatal crashes make up almost 25% of the state’s total since 2012, according to preliminary ITD data. Specifically, Ada County had 86 fatal crashes, or roughly 12% of Idaho’s 733 crashes. Canyon County had 93 fatal crashes — or almost 13% of the state’s collisions.
Idaho garnered national attention when a drunken driver struck and killed 24-year-old Madeline “Maddie” Duskey, who was walking across Eagle Road in 2017. The Idaho Supreme Court in January overturned a vehicular manslaughter conviction for 46-year-old Adam Paulson, of Eagle, after justices concluded that the jury was not informed of key details of the incident.
Miren Aburusa, program manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Idaho, told the Statesman by phone that she worried the court ruling was a problematic message for the community.
“I think we all as a society need to take ownership that impaired driving is a choice,” Aburusa said.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 1:13 PM.
