IDAHO, USA — The U.S. Department of Transportation said there was a 12% surge in traffic fatalities nationally from January to September of last year. In Idaho, it increased by 36%, which was the highest increase in the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This recent jump comes just after Idaho saw a four-year decline in traffic fatalities from 2016 to 2020, according to data from the Idaho Transportation Department.
The Idaho Statesman reported an estimated 258 people died last year in motor vehicle crashes in Idaho, the most in any year since 2006. Those rates reflect national trends as well, with 2006 holding the record for the highest number of traffic fatalities.
Last year's increase in traffic fatalities nationally was the largest rise since the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) first began keeping records in 1975.
Causes for the increase in traffic fatalities are not entirely clear, but speeding and impaired driving are likely factors in the rise.
The DOT said since the start of the pandemic, people are driving faster and wearing their seatbelts less, in part because there are fewer cars on the highways.
The department is hoping President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill, totaling $1.5 billion in funding, can help pay for bike lanes, clearer crosswalks, better lighting and possible speed cameras to help alleviate the number of deaths caused each year.
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