Super-scary traffic deaths not seen on Super Bowl Sundays

Super Bowl Sunday may invoke images of tailgating and revelry that exceed the merriment of other annual sporting events, but local law enforcement aren’t kicking off special patrols to tackle errant — or intoxicated — drivers.

The federal Highway Traffic Safety Administration often releases data to presage events such as Super Bowl Sunday. This year’s data shows Idaho among the top 10 most dangerous states to drive on the day of the big game.

But the figures aren’t impressive.

According to Idaho State Police, the number of crashes that happen in Idaho on Super Bowl Sunday have been about the same as any other Sunday during the year.

“There aren’t any big drastic (changes) above or below,” Tecia Ferguson of Idaho State Police said Friday.

Ferguson used state police data to look at the number of crashes over a five-year period on the Sunday before a Super Bowl, and on game day.

“It averages between seven on a good day, and the lowest is three,” she said.

The numbers may be up or down on game day.

“They are all pretty similar,” Ferguson said.

About 14 fatal crashes involving impaired drivers each year happen on Sunday, according to the Idaho Transportation Department.

The last time a fatal crash involving an impaired driver occurred in Idaho on Super Bowl Sunday was in 2015, according to the department.

State figures show, however, that North Idaho annually sees more fatal crashes involving impaired drivers than any other region in the Gem State, Nick Knoll of the Coeur d’Alene Police said.

But they don’t often happen on Super Bowl Sunday. In fact, there has not been a fatal crash on Super Bowl Sunday in North Idaho in the past five years.

Statistics over the past few years showed that 60 percent of fatal crashes in North Idaho involved alcohol, Knoll said.

“We had the worst impaired driving fatalities in the state,” Knoll said.

But they did not happen on Super Bowl Sunday.

That’s good news.

Even better news, Knoll said, is that the number of fatal crashes in North Idaho last year dropped from 60 percent to 25 percent, according to figures released this week. He attributes the drop to a sharp uptick in policing.

Of the two injury accidents by an impaired driver in Kootenai County on Super Bowl Sunday over the past five years, the last one was in 2016, according to the transportation department.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, despite being hyped by marketing firms to show Idaho highways as bad places to be when the two best NFL teams clash, show that .5 fatalities per one million drivers occur in Idaho on Super Bowl day.

Idaho has about 1.25 million registered drivers, according to the Idaho Transportation Department, with 125,000 active driver licenses registered in Kootenai County.

Lt. Ryan Higgins of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said Super Bowl or not, deputies will be out looking for DUI motorists.

“Like we always do,” he said.

But his traffic people don’t consider Super Bowl Sunday as a day when more impaired drivers hit the road.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done an emphasis patrol (on Super Bowl Sunday),” he said. “I would think it’s pretty typical … we get DUIs every day of the week.”

If the Seahawks were in the big game, maybe then, he said.

“It would generate more interest,” he said.

There is, however a caveat, Higgins said.

When the San Francisco 49ers square off at 3:30 p.m. Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, there may be more partying than anticipated.

“There are a lot more 49ers fans around than you think,” Higgins said. “My wife is a 49ers fan.”

Higgins waves a green Seahawks flag.

He doesn’t plan to go anywhere to watch the game.

“I’m going to stay home,” he said.

This story has been updated.