EDITORIAL: Please, pay attention to the road

Slow down.
Pay attention.
Don’t drink.
Don’t be distracted by your phone.
Wear a seat belt.
We offer a few basic driving tips because even those of us in the news business who cover and write about these things are becoming alarmed at the number of fatal accidents in North Idaho.
Reasons vary for the causes, but losing control of the vehicle is a primary one, and that happens when we fail to keep our eyes on the road and give our full focus to the traffic situations around.
We know it’s easy to start fiddling around with a cellphone, making calls, looking things up, downloading an app, even taking pictures. We beg you, don’t.
Here are a few of the accidents we reported on in our area that have sadly, resulted in deaths.
A fatal crash between a motorcycle and a car took place Sunday on Highway 3 near milepost 92. A 2025 Kawasaki ZX400 motorcycle driven by a 30-year-old Spokane man was southbound about 11:40 a.m. when it failed to negotiate a curve. The motorcycle went left of center and struck a 2016 Toyota Rav 4 driven by a 20-year-old Missoula man driving in the northbound lane.
One person died following an overnight single-vehicle crash on Highway 53 on Saturday. According to Idaho State Police, a 1997 Ford Explorer driven by a single male occupant was westbound near mile marker 5 about 3 a.m. when it drifted off the right shoulder and crashed into a group of trees.
One person died following a single vehicle crash July 22 about 7:15 p.m. on Atlas Road at Arrowhead Road. Preliminary investigation indicates a 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo, occupied by an 80-year-old female of Coeur d’Alene, was northbound on Atlas Road when the driver failed to maintain her lane. The vehicle crossed the southbound lanes of Atlas, then crashed and came to rest off the roadway, according to a release from ISP. The female was the single occupant of the vehicle and was transported via ground ambulance to a hospital before succumbing to her injuries.
A 70-year-old Hauser man died May 31 after his motorcycle collided with a water truck on Spirit Lake Cutoff Road in Bonner County about 10:20 a.m. near Beare Road. Police said the man was northbound on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Spirit Lake Cutoff Road when he failed to negotiate a curve, lost control and crossed into the southbound lane. The motorcycle then struck the southbound water truck.
About 3:50 a.m. April 11, KCSO deputies responded to a report of an unconscious male in a ditch near the intersection of Hayden Lake Road and Rhapsody Lane. Further investigation led to the discovery of a vehicle 60 feet down an embankment. Preliminary findings suggest the individual had been involved in a single-vehicle crash and was attempting to walk to the roadway for help before succumbing to his injuries. Evidence at the scene indicates alcohol and/or drugs may have been contributing factors.
We hope and pray there are no more such accidents here or anywhere. You can help.
Please, when you are driving, give it your full attention. It may save not only your own life, but the lives of those around you.