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Board schedules tour, meeting in northern Idaho

The Idaho Transportation Board will begin its road meeting in Coeur d’Alene this week with a breakfast discussion involving members of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization (KMPO). The planning organization will provide an overview of the CityLink program Wednesday.

CityLink is a successful partnership between the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and KMPO on a public transportation bus system.

The local also group will give an update on the proposed Huetter Road corridor project that would provide another north-south route in the Coeur d’Alene/Post Falls area and relieve traffic on U.S. 95. Also, ITD will give its revenue presentation to KMPO as part of a continuing effort to inform local governments and citizens about the state’s transportation funding concerns.
Wednesday’s board tour consists of traveling U.S. 95 south of Coeur d’Alene and then to St. Maries and back to Coeur d’Alene. Among the stops planned are visits to the St. Maries airport to meet with local officials and to Harrison where they will see and learn about development in that area.

Other board discussion

Idaho Traffic Collisions 2006 Report
The board will receive a summary of the Idaho Traffic Collisions 2006 Report during its regular business meeting on Thursday at the District 1 office in Coeur d’Alene. Idaho’s fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.75 in 2006.

Although it is lower than the 2005 rate of 1.84, it remains higher than the national fatality rate of 1.44 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The number of fatalities resulting from motor vehicle collisions declined 3 percent, from 275 in 2005 to 267 in 2006. Eight pedestrians and two bicyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes last year. More than 41 percent of the total fatalities were the result of impaired driving. Aggressive driving was a contributing factor in 43 percent of the fatalities.

Idaho’s observed seat belt use reached a record of 80 percent in 2006, although only 39 percent of the motor vehicle occupants killed in collisions were wearing seat belts. If everyone had been wearing seat belts, it is estimated that 58 lives might have been saved, which shows the importance of buckling up.

July was the deadliest month on Idaho’s highways with 31 fatalities, followed by June and October with 28 each. February had the least fatalities with 10. The most collisions (2,454) occurred in December, followed by 2,290 in January. Saturday was the deadliest day of the week, with 59 fatal collisions occurring on that day, followed by Friday with 45. The least number of fatal collisions, 25, occurred on Thursdays.

The most collisions (4,172,) were reported on Fridays, followed by Tuesdays (3,632). The least number of collisions happened on Sundays (2,406). Some of the other statistics in the report include the economic cost of collisions, driver gender and age, and collision information for each route on the state highway system.

Highway Safety Performance Plan FY08
The Idaho Traffic Safety Commission has approved the proposed Highway Safety Performance Plan for FY08. ITD staff will present it to the board for approval.

The plan is prepared annually to identify Idaho’s most critical behavior-related highway safety problems. Strategies are developed to address those problem areas. Based on Idaho’s highway safety needs, funding from one National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant in the amount of $1.9 million is being proposed for the following focus areas, (with the highest proposed grant total listed first): aggressive driving, paid advertising, impaired driving, occupant protection, child restraint, emergency medical services, planning and administration, traffic records, community traffic safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, roadway safety and motorcycle safety.

Additional grants will provide funding for data records, alcohol-impaired driving campaign, motorcycle safety, safety restraint incentive and racial profiling programs.

Delegations
Several local delegations are planning to discuss their concerns with board members: