Boise Power Outage Accidents: Is ICE Really the Main Reason?

In recent months, Boise has experienced an increased number of accidents resulting in downed power poles, power surges, and extended outages.

There was a recent post on the popular community Facebook group, Boise - Bad Driver Spotted, that shares concerns and frustrations regarding all of these accidents. The overall point of the post revolves around the question: What is the main reason for so many accidents at this level?

The Facebook post says: "What's the deal with people not being able to keep their cars on the road in Southwest Boise? In less than three months time, two power poles were snapped off, causing damaging power surges and extended outages. Plus, someone put their car through the side of the Best Pest building, (the old Circle K gas station.)"

The post continues by sharing more about another power pole that's been hit on South Five Mile — knocking out the power for more than 4 hours. Keep in mind, these are accidents not involving other vehicles. These accidents involve running into power roles and stoplights etc.

So, what is the main reason for so many accidents at this level?

With the recent cold weather and icy roads, many will argue that ice and snow are the primary reasons for the accidents, especially with an increased number of new residents who are not familiar with driving in the snow and ice.

While ice and snow play a huge role, especially during the cold winter months, the main reasons for these kinds of accidents are actually drunk driving, impaired driving, and distracted driving (texting).

These kinds of accidents happen even in clear conditions, and there has been an increased number of drunk driving cases in the Treasure Valley. Please drive safely.

Read here about an Idaho Transportation Department vehicle that was hit by a semi on the highway.

Read here for more on drunk driving fatalities in Idaho and how we rank compared to other states.