No one likes commuting and the many problems that come with it in a growing Treasure Valley.
But it’s the evening commute that brings the most dangerous hassle: accidents.
Police in Boise, Meridian and Nampa responded to an estimated 1,200 crashes during rush hour after work last year, according to data obtained by the Idaho Statesman through records requests. By comparison, the three departments saw just over 700 during the morning commute.
It’s a pattern that Nampa Police Traffic Sgt. Doug Harward attributes this to the amount of traffic, whether it’s drivers trying to get home from work or people heading to the grocery store. The population of Canyon County, home to Nampa, grew by more than 40,000 between 2010 and 2020, Census data show. Ada County, the state’s largest and home to Boise, grew by more than 100,000.
That means many more vehicles on the roads.
“You have the students who have after-school activities … to parents who are rushing home to take their children to their after-school activities,” Harvard told the Statesman. “I think it mainly comes from impatience.”
Idaho State Police also reported more accidents in the afternoon than in the morning, according to data from the Idaho Transportation Department. ISP responds to many Interstate 84 accidents.
The Statesman requested police crash data covering 7am to 9am for the early commute and 4pm to 6pm for the late afternoon commute.
People sometimes drive aggressively when they’re impatient, Harward said, and there’s also the constant distraction of smartphones that can play a role in accidents.
According to previous Statesman reporting, it is now illegal in Idaho to use your phone while driving, even if you are at a red light.
Some smartphone data shows that distracted drivers peak their phone use in the evening, according to a New York Times story.
“There are more people on the road. It takes more time. People get a little stuck in their ways and set a time in their head that works well,” Harward said. “If the traffic supports them in some way, they will be behind the set time. … They want to move faster.”
There are also factors beyond commuters’ control, including the weather, police said. In Boise, seven of the eight days with the most morning crashes in 2023 were in winter. There were eight accidents on both February 14 and March 1.
According to the National Weather Service in Boise, about 75% of Boise’s winter precipitation falls between midnight and 8 a.m. each year, impacting morning commutes.
“These overnight precipitation events happen with eerie regularity and often result in adverse travel conditions in the early morning hours with roads covered in ice, snow, rain or a combination of all three,” according to the National Weather Service website.
Patience is key when it comes to bad weather, said Boise Police Sgt. said Matthew Konvalinka.
“Just slower,” Konvalinka said. “Vehicles are great at accelerating. They’re not always the best at stopping. … Give that extra space.”
Another major problem is inattention, Konvalinka said, and Harward reiterated that point.
“They just have to pay attention and be a defensive driver and look at things around you,” Harward said. “And don’t focus on that one thing in your car that takes all your attention away from actually operating a motor vehicle safely.”
