BOISE, Idaho — Throughout the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Idaho drivers will be seeing a lot more Idaho State Police troopers on the road. The enhanced presence will help crack down on impaired drivers and help prevent further tragedies on the road.
"We know families and communities look forward to celebrating the Fourth of July each year and we hope they have a safe and fun holiday. Gathering together with our families and friends is part of what makes holidays so important to many of us. That's why we're asking everyone to celebrate responsibly. Care enough about others to plan ahead. Choose a safe ride home if you're using alcohol or other impairing substances," said Idaho State Police (ISP) Lt. Allen Ashby in a news release.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 201 people died in alcohol-related crashes from 6 p.m. July 2, 2020 to 5:59 a.m. July 6, 2020 in the U.S. That is also why Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) encourages people to celebrate the holiday weekend safely and plan ahead.
"It was such a rare smile," Jennifer Zavala, a volunteer victim advocate with MADD, said looking at a picture of her Father Joel Eggers. "This is actually on the way home from a hockey trip with the boys because he always saved his vacation time."
Not a day goes by Zavala does not think about her dad and as, what would be his 71st birthday approaches, those thoughts become increasingly more painful.
"It doesn't get easier. You just get through it," Zavala said.
While on an afternoon walk on April 8, 2016, Eggers was hit and killed by a driver high on methamphetamine. Zavala said the driver crossed two straightaways and hit Eggers from behind.
"My dad was doing everything he was supposed to. Walking against traffic, off to the side of the road and he's gone at the choice of somebody else," Zavala said.
The driver was sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison, but Zavala said his actions left a toll that nothing will ever fix.
"He wiped him out of our lives permanently, no goodbye," Zavala said. "My dad had six grandkids that miss him every single day. So many milestones have happened since we lost my dad, we've got kids that have bought cars, kids that have graduated."
Egger's story is unfortunately just one of dozens and dozens that happen in Idaho each year. According to the Idaho Office of Highway Safety, there were 271 vehicle fatalities in 2021 and 75 of those fatal crashes were caused by impaired driving.
"It's crazy," Zavala said. "There's no excuse for it at all. I mean, you've got Lyft and Uber. The fees for those alone are so much less than the thousands and thousands of dollars you spend on a DUI or worse in our situation, death."
Zavala uses her father's story to try and help end impaired driving. She attends MADD victim impact panels (VIP) monthly in Boise and Nampa and quarterly in Twin Falls. She said sharing at VIPs has helped her influence others to think twice about picking up the keys after a few drinks.
"There's absolutely 100% no excuse to get behind a car. No excuse at all, it is 100% preventable," Zavala said.
She also said speaking about Eggers is how she keeps his memory alive.
"You know, you wake up and you go to sleep missing that person," Zavala said.
MADD encourages people to come up with a plan before going to a party or gathering where they know alcohol may be. Whether it is to designate a sober driver or use a ride-sharing service, she said there are many options that don't include getting behind the wheel impaired.
She said it is also important to note that people need to be mindful while on boats. A tragedy could also occur because of impairment out on the water. According to MADD, alcohol was a factor in 16% of boat deaths nationally in 2021.
Officers with the North Idaho DUI Task Force will also be looking for drivers operating a boat or watercraft while impaired this weekend too.
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