8/14/2020
ITD Publishes 2019 Idaho Crash Report With New “Dashboards” to Help Visualize Data
BOISE — Idaho saw fewer fatalities despite an increase in crashes last year. This is according to the Idaho Transportation Department’s just-released 2019 Idaho Traffic Crash report.
There were 224 people killed in crashes in 2019, down from 234 the previous year. During that same period, crashes increased from 24,031 in 2018 to 27,015 last year, an 11% increase.
“There is a lot to learn from this data,” said Highway Safety Manager John Tomlinson. “Knowing what is happening on our roads and using that information to make our communities safer is one of the most important things we do.”
In addition to the crash report, ITD also released new crash dashboards that allow users to display data in an informative and highly interactive way.
See 2019 Crash Report cover photo here
The dashboards allow the public to apply their own search filters and displays that information in dynamic charts and maps.
“This data is important and we want people to see and understand it,” said Tomlinson. “We want everyone on Idaho roads to feel empowered to make safe choices anytime they are out on the roads.”
The objective of this data is to guide transportation and highway safety professionals to plan projects and activities to prevent crashes, and to inform the public of what’s happening on their roads.
“The effort to improve Idaho’s crash data with these visualization tools allows not only our department to see what’s happening, but all stakeholders,” said Tomlinson. “Seeing charts and interactive maps helps to extrapolate statistics that affect us all where we drive.”
Notable statistics:
- While 68% of all crashes happen in urban areas, 74% of all fatal crashes happen on rural highways
- Aggressive driving was a factor in 50% of all crashes
- Impaired-driving crashes accounted for 44% of all fatalities.
- Distracted driving was a factor in 19% of all crashes
- Drivers age 15-19 were 2.6 times more likely to be involved in a crash than all other drivers