Idaho traffic deaths surpass 2022 total

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - So far this year, more people have been killed in crashes on Idaho roads than in all of 2022.

According to preliminary data from the Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS), 222 people have died in crashes on our roads so far in 2023, surpassing the 215 people killed last year. 

“We often think about crashes as isolated incidents, but it adds up to a real crisis on our roads,” Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton said. “The safest thing we can do for ourselves and our communities is to drive engaged. That means seatbelt on, free from distractions, and actively scanning the road ahead.”

Seat belts save lives. Seventy-four of the people killed in crashes this year were not wearing seat belts. In a crash, seat belts increase your odds of survival by nearly 50%.

The most frequent type of fatal crash in Idaho is when a single vehicle leaves the roadway and crashes. Drivers involved in these crashes are often speeding, not wearing a seatbelt and/or driving impaired. So far this year, 67* people were killed in single motor vehicle crashes and 18 were killed in single motorcycle crashes. 

“We see this deadly pattern of speed, impairment, and no seatbelt over and over again,” OHS Impaired Driving Program Specialist Lisa Losness said. “That’s why it’s so important to plan a sober ride home for yourself and call a ride for your friends if they try to drive after drinking.”

Of the deaths on Idaho roads this year:

• 152 were in motor vehicles
• 37 were on motorcycles
• 25 were pedestrians
• Four were on bicycles
• Four were on some other type of vehicle (ATV, UTV, etc.)

The most common contributing factors in this year’s fatal crashes were (in no ranked order):

• Fail to maintain lane
• Speeding
• Alcohol/Drug impairment
• Fail to yield
• Inattention
• Distracted
• Drove left of the center line
• Fail to obey a stop sign or signal
• Overcorrecting
• Improper overtaking