Canyon
Coppers Play “Bumper Cars” On I-84
December 11, 2016 
Slick roads, bad driving and being in the wrong place at the right time all added to a game of “Bumper Cars” early Sunday morning with Idaho State Police suffering loss of two cruisers along I-84.
Here is the official account:
On Sunday, December 11, 2016, at 12:02 am, Idaho State Police, Canyon County Sheriffs’ Office, and the Nampa Police Department investigated approximately eleven crashes on I84 eastbound and westbound between mile marker 36, Franklin Exit, and mile marker 41, Black Cat Road.
Two of those crashes involved Idaho State Police patrol cars:
At 12:21 am, an Idaho State Police trooper was responding to a non-injury crash westbound on I84 at mile marker 36 when a 1998 Mercury Villager, driven by Allan H. Ische, 65, of Nampa, slid into the patrol car. The Mercury then hit a Pontiac G6, driven by Rachel Robb, 40, of Nyssa, OR. There were no injuries.
At 12:49 am, an Idaho State Police trooper was stationary on the right shoulder westbound on I84 at mile marker 36 investigating a crash. A 2014 Nissan Versa, driven by Rachel Carter, 36, of Caldwell, was traveling westbound and sideswiped a 2016 Dodge Grand Caravan. Upon impact, Carter’s vehicle struck the guardrail and the rear left corner of the unoccupied patrol vehicle. Carter was taken into custody by the Nampa Police Department for suspected Driving Under the Influence. The driver of the Caravan, Jenna E. Morris, 35, of Fruitland, was not injured. The trooper was not injured.
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Comments & Discussion
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Dec 11, 2016, 2:40 pm
This is a nationwide problem and there are many internal memos that basically say to make a minimum effort on winter roads. Some crazy department heads even expected desert heat by now due to global warming predictions.
The state county and city roads people have more money than ever before, but do very badly at making the roads safe for travel (as compared to the high quality work of decades past).
The financial impact of the community is not something they care about in the least–and don’t even calculate. Further, people are getting injured and killed. Dangerous winter roads after an average expected typical winter weather event are one of the most visible indicators of tax collections not being returned to the people as intended.
No doubt press releases and overpaid spokespeople will make the rounds on all the media outlets with hand wringing and stories of budget woes. However, they have more money than ever before people–it’s just not leaving the building as it should. So sad for our country to have our ‘best in the world’ roads needlessly covered in ice.
And now for the best part. The PR efforts have been so effective in brainwashing the average TV watcher; there are a whole bunch of dopes that will attack my statements as if they are treasonous. They tend to be liberals and/or old folk who find calling bullcrap on the government sacrilegious. After all, rocking the boat is the worst possible crime. Where is Frank Church when we need him?
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Tire advertising and public knowledge: Another brainwashing clue. Big lug knobby tires intended for summer mud are the worst in snow/ice. Also summer performance tires, wide tires, low profile tires all suck on snow/ice. Do some research and you’ll find some of the best winter tires are also not aggressive or performance ‘looking’. Consumer Reports and Tire Rack have some evaluation tools. The ultimate winter tire is a dedicated winter tire with studs.
Dec 13, 2016, 10:00 am
If motorists would just slow down many of these crashes would not occur. Speed kills, especially when road conditions are less than ideal. If we could see the accident reports on these incidents I suspect that “driving too fast for conditions” would appear in virtually all of them.
Dec 13, 2016, 3:22 pm
I will beg to differ with “Visable [sic] Government Failure.” I believe the ACHD does a pretty good job of mitigating the snow on area surface streets. Heck! Unless the roads are REALLY treacherous (glossy ice), I ride my bicycle. (Watching in all directions for cars including behind using a rearview mirror, and pulling off if there’s any chance of a car-bike encounter.) That juice (magnesium chloride?) they put on the roads does a pretty good job of preventing buildup.
(VGF – I s’pose I’m pretty old, but I’m not “liberal,” at least in the sense of supporting Big Government. I don’t remember the roads being maintained much better back in the “good old days,” as you attest. Perhaps my memory is faulty – I await other responses.)
The Interstate – and particularly “the connector” – seem to get pretty dicey at times. But – hey, the body shops need business, too!
Year-round, far more collisions are the result of inattentive driving, than bad weather.
Dec 14, 2016, 3:36 am
My entry is directed at the overlords. The policy makers and administrators. Certainly not the worker on the street. They clearly work hard and in dangerous conditions.
Dec 14, 2016, 6:37 am
I agree with Bikeboy. The roads are better now than they used to be. And I am not willing to pay to ramp up for maybe one big storm each year. I also applaud him for the korrect use of “sic” (did you see what I did there?)
EDITOR NOTE–I applaud YOU for figuring how to overpower the auto correct on your computer too. Bill Roden can’t type his name on a computer without it coming out RODENT.
Dec 14, 2016, 11:12 am
Urban Dictionary: visable
visable. verb: 1: Can I pay for this with my visa card 2: Can I afford this item, or is it going to max out my visa card. 1: Is this sandwich visable? 2: I wonder if that fender bender is
Pssst: (nationwide) All across the nation, even in the Snowbelt the money goes in, more than ever, but does not return. Bumper cars for weeks after the storms that used to be cleaned up in a day or two. Pay, Benefits, Pensions are #1 spending item for most government snowplow owners these days. Our local financial structure is far better than most, but the trend is established here too.
Dec 17, 2016, 5:18 pm
I concur that the insane cost of making perfect road conditions for the rare nasty day is money wasted. Better to just call a weather holiday, and let the workaholics stew over lost productivity.
Mr Editor, the corporate media seems to be turning into corp Comedy Central. Yesterday I read about a “…severe lizard warning for the Eastern Seaboard…” Godzilla anyone??
Bikeboy- I rode my bicycle through many Boise winters. My crazy conclusion was that my bike did fine when I could barely stand up due to icy conditions. Going slow and careful is the magic recipe.
Dec 17, 2016, 6:18 pm
The good news is, winter started two weeks ago and we have only two more weeks until the spring thaw. It’s why the Indians and the French overwintered here. Any day now the Tribe will be granted ownership by Obama–and Bieter will be gone.