According to a report published by the Idaho Transportation Department Office of Highway Safety, over 27,500 motor vehicle crashes occurred in-state during 2021. The total was a 22% increase on the previous year. More than 1360 serious injuries were caused by these crashes, up 24% from 2020. Over 240 fatal crashes were reported in 2021, nearly a 30% increase from the year before. More than 270 fatalities resulted from crashes in Idaho during 2021, a 27% increase from 2020.
Traffic accidents in Idaho
The fatality per 100 million vehicle miles traveled for 2021 increased by 13 percent from the year before. Close to two-thirds of Idaho’s crashes occur in urban areas, while close to 70% of the fatal crashes occurred on rural roadways. Fatalities attributed to impaired driving increased by 17% from 2021, accounting for 40% of the traffic fatalities for the year. Among the 108 impaired driving fatalities, over 90 involved an impaired driver, their passenger or an impaired pedestrian.
More on crashes in Idaho
Seat belt compliance during 2021 exceeded 82%, but just over 35% of the victims killed in crashes wore safety belts. Aggressive driving was attributed to nearly 50% of the accidents in Idaho. In 2021, Over 90 people were killed in aggressive driving incidents in Idaho. Distracted driving was a factor in more than 15% of the crashes, accounting for 30 of these deaths. Young drivers aged 15 to 19 were 2.4 times more likely to be involved in a crash.
In 2021, nearly 70 percent of the fatal motorcycle accidents in Idaho did not involve another vehicle. More than 30 percent of the fatal motorcycle accidents involved an impaired driver. On average, a traffic crash occurred every 20 minutes and someone was injured in a crash every 42 minutes.