Idaho traffic fatalities at 15-year high

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Traffic fatalities in Idaho were at a 15-year high in 2021 after declining for four years, according to data from the Idaho Transportation Department. The Idaho Statesman reports preliminary data indicate that through Thursday there had been at least 258 people killed in crashes this year, the most in any year since 2006. In 2020, 214 people died in traffic accidents. Since 2016, when 253 fatalities were recorded, the figure had declined each year before rising again in 2021.  It’s not only Idaho that is seeing an increase in deaths. The U.S. Department of Transportation reported earlier this year that the first six months of 2021 saw the largest-ever increase in the number of people who died in motor vehicle crashes.