Idaho Drivers Going Faster, Getting Into More Accidents Fatalities Not Rising As Quickly Despite Increase In Speed Limits
Although the numbers are preliminary and inconclusive, it appears Idaho motorists have been driving faster and getting in more accidents since the state’s speed limits began increasing in May 1996.
Accident rates for 2,380 miles of highways increased after the limits were boosted by 10 mph, in most cases. But because there are relatively few fatalities and incapacitating accidents, state transportation analysts said no statistical connection with higher speeds could be determined.
“About the only thing we can draw from these statistics at this time is the last year was a transition year,” Glenda Fuller, traffic survey and analysis manager for the Idaho Transportation Department, said Thursday.
“We were seeing speeds increasing throughout the year up until towards the very end when they finally started to level off. So we think people were mainly just adjusting. Also, the speed limit signs were changing throughout the year. It’s not like they were increased all at once.”
With one year of data, the Transportation Department found that accident rates, which account for increasing miles traveled, climbed by 48 percent on 25 miles of urban interstates in Boise, Pocatello and Coeur d’Alene, compared with crashes during the preceding 12 months. The number of accidents increased from 160 to 247.
Accidents increased by 37 percent on 524 miles of rural interstates. Accidents went up from 1,026 to 1,508. Accidents also increased by 17 percent on 1,831 miles of non-interstate highways, rising from 1,126 to 1,451.
But because accident rates can fluctuate widely from year to year, state transportation officials are reluctant to make any changes in the new limits until they have three years of data.
Speed limits were hiked by the Transportation Board on selected roads after the Idaho Legislature boosted the state’s maximum speed limit to 75 mph on rural interstates and to 65 mph on urban interstates and other highways. Many states raised limits after Congress repealed national maximum speed limits in 1995.
In Idaho, average speeds increased by 2 to 3 mph on roads with higher limits.
But the number of fatal accidents on highways has not increased dramatically as opponents of higher limits feared. Fatal accidents increased by only five, to 72, on the higher speed-limit roads. They also climbed by 14, to 50, on highways that kept their old limits. xxxx EARLY NUMBERS Urban: Accident rates climbed from 160 to 247 on 25 miles of urban interstates in Boise, Pocatello and Coeur d’Alene during the last year. Rural: Accidents increased from 1,026 to 1,508 on 524 miles of rural interstates. Accidents also increased from 1,126 to 1,451 on 1,831 miles of non-interstate highways.