Idaho Traffic Collisions, 2005

NHTSA · 2005 · ROSA P / Idaho. Office of Highway Operations and Safety

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Summary

This report, published by the Idaho Transportation Department’s Office of Traffic & Highway Safety, provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of motor vehicle collisions in Idaho for the year 2005. The document serves as an annual resource for state and local agencies to identify traffic safety problems and target injury prevention programs. The data is derived from the Idaho Transportation Department State Collision Database, which includes collisions investigated by law enforcement that resulted in injury, death, or property damage exceeding $750. The report categorizes data by collision severity, roadway classification, driver demographics, and specific safety focus areas such as impaired driving, seat belt usage, and aggressive driving. In 2005, Idaho recorded 28,238 total collisions, a slight decrease of 0.3% from the previous year. However, fatalities increased by 5.8% to 275, while injuries decreased by 2% to 14,436. The statewide fatality rate was 1.84 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, significantly higher than the national estimate of 1.46. The estimated economic cost of these collisions was nearly $1.8 billion, with society bearing approximately 75% of the costs through insurance premiums, taxes, and public services. Rural roadways accounted for 80% of fatal collisions, despite comprising only 38% of all collisions, a disparity attributed to higher speed limits and the state’s extensive rural road network. Single-vehicle collisions, though less frequent, were 2.9 times more likely to result in a fatality than multiple-vehicle collisions, with overturns being the leading harmful event in fatal single-vehicle crashes. Key behavioral factors significantly influenced collision outcomes. Impaired driving contributed to just over 36% of motor vehicle fatalities, with 86% of victims in these crashes being the impaired driver, a passenger, or an impaired pedestrian. Aggressive driving was a contributing factor in 55% of all collisions and 48% of fatalities. Seat belt usage reached an observed high of 76%, yet only 40% of occupants killed in collisions were wearing restraints; the report estimates that 63 lives could have been saved if all occupants had been belted. Youthful drivers aged 15 to 19 were over-involved in crashes, experiencing fatal and injury collisions at 2.5 times the expected rate. Additionally, motorcycle collisions continued to rise, resulting in 26 motorcyclist deaths, while commercial motor vehicle collisions increased by 3%, though fatalities in these incidents decreased slightly. The report concludes that Idaho’s traffic safety challenges are driven by a combination of rural roadway characteristics, high-speed impacts, and specific driver behaviors such as impairment and aggression. The persistent gap between Idaho’s fatality rate and the national average highlights the need for targeted interventions in rural areas and among high-risk groups, particularly youthful drivers and those involved in single-vehicle rollovers. The data underscores the substantial economic burden of collisions on the state and the potential for saving lives through increased restraint use and reduced impaired driving.

Key finding

Idaho experienced 275 traffic fatalities in 2005, with impaired driving contributing to over 36 percent of these deaths and youthful drivers aged 15 to 19 being 2.8 times more likely to be involved in fatal and injury crashes than other drivers.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• fatality injury trends
• demographic disparities

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence