BEWARE: The Deadliest Time to Drive in Idaho’s 11 Major Cities

In 2023, there were more than 240 fatal crashes in Idaho resulting in 275 Idahoans losing their lives. Unfortunately, that number statistic is trending in the opposite direction than the Idaho Department of Transportation would like to see it moving.

At press time, there have been 161 fatal crashes in 2024. 176 Idahoans, including 17 in Ada County and 17 in Canyon County, have lost their lives in those accidents. 

READ MORE: The Deadliest 10 Mile Stretch of Highway in Idaho Revealed

Traditionally the 100 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are known as the “deadliest days” on Idaho roadway because more people are on the road for family vacations or daily recreation while school’s out. People are also more likely to drink more while enjoying time away from the office or celebrating summer holidays. Those things add up to a spike in the number of fatal and serious injury crashes. 

While we’re past the 100 deadliest days this year, we are about to hit another obstacle for Idaho motorists. It’s the return of Standard Time on Sunday, November 3. According to AAA, the time change can disrupt your sleep cycle leaving you sluggish and drowsy behind the wheel. While falling back in the fall does mean more daylight during the morning commute, it means lower visibility during the drive home when motorists may be exhausted from a long day at work. 

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While you may very well feel the effects of the time change on your body, will you change your plans just because you’re a little sleepy? Research says you probably won’t. While 80% of drivers will avoid driving after drinking, only about 50% will try to avoid driving while sleep deprived. 70% are likely to get a DD if they’ve been drinking, but only 40% will lean on a rideshare or friends/family members for a ride when they’re tired.

Getting darker, earlier is also not awesome for drivers with astigmatism in one or both eyes. We’re one of those drivers and we’ll fully admit to reducing the amount of time we spend behind the wheel in the evening after the time change. We’re really grateful for friends and family members with better eyesight that are willing to drive from Point A to Point B. 

All can lead to an increase in crashes. A 2022 study published in the Journal of Safety Research showed that there was a 6% increase in the number of crashes during the first four weeks following the fall time change. 

This got us thinking…what are the most dangerous times of the year to drive in Idaho’s major cities? Is it during the 100 Deadliest Day (May-September) or the winter months where darkness and eventually winter weather tests motorists?

Using a searchable database from the Idaho Transportation Department, we were able to determine which months, days of the week and hours of the day have the most fatal accidents in Idaho’s 11 largest cities. Here’s what we found out using from crash data from 2018-203.