BOISE, Idaho —
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Kids shooting gel blasters out of car windows. A truck doing 40 mph in a 65 mph zone. A person wanting to apologize for the way he merged. These and other posts fill the group "Boise — Bad Driver Spotted," a collection of over 23,000 people posting pictures and stories about driving in the Treasure Valley.
Some posts are apologetic:
“I don’t know if you’re on here but to the BMW driver that I almost merged into, I sincerely apologize. I didn’t see you when I looked behind me … I'm glad neither of us got hurt. I'm sorry for scaring you,” one man wrote.
But others are on the page to express their annoyance, occasionally in unique ways:
“Someone was wonderful enough to smash my car at Albertsons on federal way this evening,” one woman wrote. “May the fleas of 1,000 camels infest your crotch. And I hope you have a mega zit for your next big interview.”
The frustrations are real and the numbers appear to back up these annoyed people. Idaho has the 18th-worst drivers in the country, according to a 2021 study. The ranking looked at percentage of insured drivers, DUI arrests per 1,000 drivers, fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and Google trends on driving tickets.
The ranking puts Gem State in the worst half of drivers. Plus, Idaho had one of the highest rates of DUI arrests per 1,000 drivers.
Safe Driving Tips
- Use your turn signals
- Merge onto the highway going the same speed as the flow of traffic
- Do not drive slowly in the left lane on the highway
- Don't change lanes in an intersection
- Keep three seconds between you and the car in front of you (don't tailgate)
- Keep road rage in check
- Do not use your phone while driving
- Pay attention to the traffic lights
Nampa resident Trace Carson joined the group in 2017. His contributions range from photos of someone using the shoulder as an off-ramp at the Eagle Road exit to a post warning drivers that a woman driving the wrong way in Meridian was still out there.
“Everybody’s in it, from old people to young people to car people to non-car people, all posting their experiences,” Carson said. “I think it's going to keep growing, especially as the valley does.”
Carson has been traveling a lot the past few years, which, he said, made him realize how inattentive Idaho drivers are.
On Facebook, people can be kind of mean, Carson said. But the group brings people together.
“Everybody’s on the same page,” he said. “Whatever that person did was dumb.”
Another Nampa resident, Luke Kaylor, is definitely feeling some frustration with Idaho drivers. He said they’re worse than California drivers, and have the tendency to do things like merge onto the highway going 40 mph.
Kaylor joined the group in 2020. Since then, he’s posted about situations like a Toyota Prius with several mattresses secured precariously on top, towing a waterski.
Though some people can be negative, he said the group can be very positive.
“My favorite part is just sharing the crazy stuff with other people,” Kaylor said. “It’s kind of a quicker way to spread some news.”
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. Read more at IdahoPress.com
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