03-08-2025
Boise police say traffic stops are soaring — and cite one troubling trend
Boise police officers are conducting more traffic stops than usual and seeing an increase in reckless driving behaviors.
Officer Kyle Wills said the Boise Police Department has upped its enforcement on the roads to combat rising rates of fatal and serious-injury crashes during the summer months.
According to the Idaho Office of Highway Safety, there have been 140 fatal crashes statewide so far this year, compared to 123 during the same period in 2024. In Boise, there have been seven fatal crashes in 2025.
'We're trying to combat that increase, or stop and reduce the fatal and serious-injury crashes on our roadways, so increasing enforcement is an obvious response to the number of crashes we're seeing,' Wills told the Idaho Statesman. 'Our goal is always to keep the community safe, and this is one aspect of what we want to do, is keeping the community safe and keeping families whole.'
A July 30 police department press release stated that officers conducted 18,595 traffic stops from January through June 2025, which was a 34.4% increase from the same period in 2024. In June alone, officers conducted 4,000 traffic stops.
One of the biggest issues this summer, the release said, is an increase in drivers traveling more than 100 mph within city limits.
In the release, Boise Police Sgt. Matt Konvalinka said that the most common citations involve dangerous behaviors that were 'entirely preventable.'
Memorial Day through Labor Day is known as the 100 deadliest days on the roads, according to the National Road Safety Foundation, and Boise police urge drivers to take extra caution.
'Historically, this time frame is when we see a significant spike in fatal and serious-injury car crashes,' Wills said. 'If you were to take any 100-day period throughout any time of the year, our highest fatalities are typically between Memorial Day and Labor Day.'
The roads are much more dangerous in the summertime, he said.
In the winter, Wills said, drivers are more cautious because they understand that the roads will be in worse condition with snow and ice. But in the summer, people focus less and aren't 'engaged as much in the act of driving.'
Beyond that, he said during the summer teens and young drivers who would otherwise be in school are driving more. There are also more vacationers and motorcyclists on the roads.
'Every one of these (fatal) crashes has claimed a life and devastated a family. It's our hope that by sharing this information, drivers are reminded just how critical safe driving habits are, especially during the summer months,' Boise Police Sgt. Matt Konvalinka stated in the news release.
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