Fifteen people have been killed in crashes on Idaho roads in the last 10 days, at the mid-point of the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer. The Idaho Office of Highway Safety (OHS), Idaho State Police, and over 50 law enforcement partners across Idaho are joining forces to educate drivers and stop aggressive driving. Now through July 30, expect to see more officers on the road looking for speeding, tailgating, and other aggressive driving behaviors.
So far this year 121* people have been killed on Idaho roads. Forty-five* of those fatalities happened during the 100 Deadliest Days, which is the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when Idaho sees a spike in fatal and serious injury crashes. Last year 39 percent of all fatal crashes involved some form of aggressive driving behavior.
“We all want to make it home and most Idahoans make safe choices that protect themselves and others,” explained Highway Safety Manager Josephine Middleton. “It’s important that we recognize and stop the behaviors that put people at risk.”
Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to react to hazards and increases the risk of crashes and injuries. It also makes it harder to maneuver around obstacles or curves and increases stopping distance. Other vehicles and pedestrians may misjudge distances when a car is speeding towards them.
“The effects of speeding are deadly,” said Middleton, “and with more drivers out and about during the summer the danger goes up for everyone on the roads.”
Examples of aggressive driving include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Driving too fast for conditions
- Cutting in front of another driver and then slowing down
- Failing to stop for red lights or stop signs
- Failure to yield
- Weaving in and out of traffic
- Changing lanes without signaling
- Blocking cars that are attempting to change lanes
- Passing a vehicle on the wrong side of the road or on the shoulder
- Screaming, honking, or flashing lights
- Making hand gestures or facial expressions at other drivers
*Preliminary data