Hunter’s orange, seatbelts, and bike and motorcycle helmets have one thing in common: Some people won’t wear them.

In individualistic Idaho, there’s resistance to all these forms of safety gear – although each has a proven safety record.

Idaho’s seatbelt use ranks far behind Washington’s. Idaho doesn’t have helmet laws. Nor does it require hunters to wear blaze orange, which makes them more visible to others in the woods. Some Idaho hunters are proud their state is one of the few that don’t require orange vests or caps. Bruce Jensen, 38, of Post Falls, however, is probably having second thoughts about hunter orange as he recuperates from a gunshot wound.

Jensen, dressed completely in camouflage, was stalking a deer across an open hillside in the St. Joe River area Nov. 21 when he was hit in the right hip by a bullet fired by a 56-year-old Caldwell man. He was luckier than Steven Seppala, 43, of Ponderay, who was killed while hunting with family members on Roundtop Mountain in the St. Joe National Forest in October. Neither was wearing hunter orange, nor was a third hunter who was accidentally shot in the foot by a buddy while hunting this fall in the same St. Joe River area.

The accidents have prompted Shoshone County Sheriff Chuck Reynalds to call for a law that exists in most states requiring hunters to wear orange during rifle season. Reynalds knows his idea won’t be popular because Idahoans are “individualistic and don’t like to be told what to do.” Individualism, in this instance, is a fancy word for foolish machismo. Orange clothing saves lives. A North Idaho legislator should step forward to carry a hunter’s orange bill for Reynalds to bring Idaho into line with safety laws in Washington and Montana.

Hunter’s orange, of course, isn’t a cure-all.

A man or woman in the woods with a rifle capable of shooting hundreds of yards should observe a catalog of rules to ensure safety and enjoyment – rules, written and unwritten, that run the gamut from how to handle a firearm to bag limits to respect for property and landowners. The Hunter’s Pledge, written by hunting and fishing organizations, provides a good overview of how hunters should behave, including a point that advocates consideration for nonhunters who don’t share their beliefs and traditions. And another point that encourages hunters to be good role models, especially for children and young adults who represent the future of the sport.

Adults who take their children hunting are passing along a rich tradition. They’re being irresponsible, though, if they refuse to wear orange gear that makes them visible to other hunters, including those of their own hunting parties. Tragically, a family member or a friend is often the culprit in hunting accidents, many of which could be avoided by adding a dash of color.

Reynalds has never found a shooting victim wearing orange in the accidents he’s investigated.

“It’s just like I’ve never pulled a drowning victim out of the water that had on a life preserver,” Reynalds told The Spokesman-Review.

It’s time to make Idaho’s woods a little safer.