WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The Utah Department of Transportation, Utah Highway Patrol, and Zero Fatalities updated the media on how the summer went in terms of traffic fatalities. They say there were 7 fewer lives lost.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, it sounds like 7, but that’s 7 husbands, daughters, sons, relatives, who are still alive today,” said UHP Sgt Todd Royce.
There were 87 lives lost on Utah’s roads during the 100 Deadliest Days of 2017, compared to 94 during the same time period of 2016.
The 100 Deadliest Days is the time period between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day, where traffic fatalities typically almost double on Utah roads.
Last year there were 3 counties in Utah that had zero fatalities throughout the whole year; this summer 9 counties had no deaths on the roads all summer long.
“We are seeing a decrease in traffic fatalities, while travel has increased 5 percent across the state,” said UDOT’s John Gleason, “That’s progress.”
But Gleason and Royce say drivers can do so much more to stay safe, including wearing seatbelts and not driving drowsy, distracted or impaired.
Of the 2017 summer numbers, the fatalities involved 3 drowsy drivers, 8 distracted drivers, 15 involved speed and 25 were unrestrained.
The breakdown included 50 motorists, 11 pedestrians, 24 motorcyclists and 2 bicyclists.
