Which Treasure Valley commute is more dangerous, morning or evening? Here’s police info
No one likes commuting and many of the hassles that come with it in a growing Treasure Valley.
But it’s the evening commute that has more of the most dangerous hassle: crashes.
Boise, Meridian and Nampa police responded to an estimated 1,200 crashes during the after-work rush hour last year, according to data obtained by the Idaho Statesman via records requests. By comparison, the three departments saw just over 700 during the morning commute.
It’s a pattern that Nampa Police Traffic Sgt. Doug Harward attributed to the volume of traffic, be they drivers trying to get home from work or people heading to the grocery store. The population of Canyon County, home to Nampa, grew by more than 40,000 from 2010 to 2020, Census data showed. Ada County, the state’s largest and home to Boise, grew by more than 100,000.
That means way more vehicles on the roads.
“You have the students who have after-school activities … to parents rushing home to get their kids to their after-school activities,” Harvard told the Statesman. “I think most of it comes out to just impatience.”
Idaho State Police also reported more crashes in the afternoon than the morning, according to Idaho Transportation Department data. ISP responds to a lot of Interstate 84 accidents.
The Statesman asked for crash data from the police departments covering 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. for the early commute and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for the late-afternoon drive.
People sometimes drive aggressively when they’re impatient, Harward said, and there’s also the constant distraction of smartphones that can play a role in accidents.
It’s now illegal in Idaho to use your phone while driving, even when stopped at a red light, according to previous Statesman reporting.
Some smartphone data shows that distracted drivers using their phones peaks in the evening, according to a New York Times story.
“There’s more people on the road. It takes more time. People are kind of getting set in their ways and they set a time in their head that works right,” Harward said. “If traffic backs them up in any way, then they’re behind the time they’ve set. ... They want to move faster.”
There also are factors beyond the control of commuters, including the weather, police said. In Boise, seven of the eight days with the most morning crashes in 2023 were during the winter. On both Feb. 14 and March 1, there were eight crashes.
About 75% of Boise’s winter precipitation each year falls between midnight and 8 a.m., impacting the morning commute, according to the National Weather Service in Boise.
“This overnight precipitation happens with uncanny regularity and often results in adverse traveling conditions in the early morning hours with roads covered in ice, snow, rain or a combination of all three,” according to the National Weather Service’s website.
Patience is the big thing when it comes to adverse weather, Boise Police Sgt. Matthew Konvalinka said.
“Just slow down,” Konvalinka said. “Vehicles are great at speeding up. They’re not always the best at stopping. ... Give that extra space.”
Another big issue is inattention, Konvalinka said, and Harward echoed that point.
“They just have to pay attention to it and be a defensive driver and look at those things around you,” Harward said. “And not focus on the one thing in your car that is taking all of your attention away from actually operating a motor vehicle safely.”
