Kearns- In 2018 there were 264 traffic deaths in Utah alone. The previous data according to the Utah Standard Examiner is among the lowest in fatalities on Utah’s roads in one year. It can be hard to imagine lowering the amount of accidents that occur in one year, but it is harder to imagine having to lose a loved one in a traffic accident.

In a recent accident a 60 year old woman died after being struck by an automobile. The accident took place at the intersection of Foothill Drive and Wakara Way. The woman was not named. This could have been someone’s mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, neighbor, friend, anyone. A single person who you know and love being lost to an automobile related accident could flip your life around in an instant, so why do we let 200 of them die a year?

According to the Utah Department of Health, 42% of fatal crashes are attributed to speed, 35% failure to keep in proper lane, 34% due to unrestrained occupants, 16% credited to drunk driving, and 11% due to failure to yield. These statistics show that a majority of fatal accidents are due to reckless drivers.

According to Zero Fatalities there are five main reasons for fatal accidents; drowsy driving, impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and not buckling up. Looking at a phone for four seconds will carry you a distance of an entire football field going 60 mph. An aggressive driver is someone who speeds and cuts others off with inches to spare. Aggressive drivers are the cause for the 40% of deaths due to speeding. Three out of four people ejected from their seat from not wearing a seatbelt die from their injuries. 30,000 people are killed nationwide due to one of these causes, that is nearly 82 people killed every day.

Too many people die on Utah’s roads every year. You or someone you know can be a victim of a deadly crash at any time. Don’t drive recklessly or you might become another statistic.