Idaho officials: 82 road deaths during summer travel season
North central Idaho saw eight traffic deaths during 100 Deadliest Days
The Idaho Office of Highway Safety announced this past week that 82 people died on Idaho roads during the summer travel season.
The total includes eight people in the five-county area of north central Idaho.
The offices refers to the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the 100 Deadliest Days.
During that time, “more people are out of school or work, on vacation, and celebrating,” according to a news release distributed by the Idaho Transportation Department. “Risky driving behaviors like distracted driving, impaired driving, and speeding increase.”
The 82 deaths were less than the 93 recorded during the same time in 2023.
So far this year, there have been 156 deaths in Idaho related to traffic crashes, compared to 165 last year at this time. There were a total of 275 fatalities in 2023, which is the largest total in more than a decade.
During the 100 Deadliest Days, there were four fatalities in Idaho County, three in Nez Perce County, one in Clearwater County and none in Latah and Lewis counties. Four of the people who died were riding motorcycles, according to Tribune reporting.
During the summer months, there were 14 deaths in District 1 (northern Idaho), 25 in District 3 (Boise area), 15 in District 4 (Twin Falls area), seven in District 5 (southeastern Idaho) and 15 in District 6 (south central Idaho).
In no particular order, these are the top 10 reasons for the fatal crashes during the summer: fail to maintain lane, speeding, alcohol impairment, inattention, fail to yield, crossed centerline, overcorrecting, following too close, improper turn and drug impairment.
“While there were fewer crashes than last summer, we still lost 82 people during the 100 Deadliest Days. Every traffic death is a tragedy, and we can do more to prevent them,” Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton said in a news release. “Whether we are driving for work or fun, we can always drive engaged, always drive sober, and obey speed limits so that we don’t lose more Idahoans to traffic crashes.”
