A familiar scene – a car on the side of the road, ambulance lights, debris strewn. In 2023, Utah saw 64,817 motor vehicle accidents resulting in: “18,316 injury crashes, 26,329 people injured and 279 fatalities” estimated by GoodGuysInjuryLaw.com. Motor vehicle crashes happen at an alarming rate in Utah, a crash occurs every 8.5 minutes, someone is injured every 20 minutes, and fatal accidents happen every 31 hours. Urban areas in Utah have more crashes but rural areas have more fatalities.
CELL phone use, eating or drinking, adjusting the radio or GPS, and talking with passengers causes lots of accidents on the roads. Motor vehicle accidents have many causes, but most fall into a few categories. Aggressive driving behaviors that contribute to crashes include tailgating, improper lane changes, road rage incidents, ignoring traffic signals, and weaving through traffic. “Speeding has caused 35% of all deadly crashes in Utah” stated by the GoodGuysInjuryLaw.com.
WINTER creates serious hazards on Utah’s roads, especially in mountain passes and canyons. Dangers include sudden snowstorms that drop visibility to near zero, black ice forms invisible slick patches, slush that can pull vehicles off course, and reduced traction on all road surfaces. Though many blame snow and ice for crashes, 82% of Utah accidents actually happen on dry roads in clear weather. This data indicates that driver behavior, not conditions, causes most accidents.
SALT Lake County has the most weather-related crashes, but rural counties see more deaths from similar conditions due to higher speeds on open roads, fewer safety features like guardrails, less frequent plowing and road treatment, limited cell service for emergency calls because service lines can be disrupted by the bad weather. People should always go slower than the speed limit when the weather is bad in any way.
DRIVERS over the age of 65 or under the age of 18 account for significant numbers of crashes. About 7,810 fatal crashes involved drivers aged 65 and older and an estimated 279,225 people 65 and older were injured in motor vehicle crashes. There were 12,686 accidents in Utah where a teen driver was involved. “Young drivers (16-24) make up about 7% of motor vehicle crash deaths”, estimated by https://www.iihs.org/
DRIVING etiquette is one thing most people forget when driving. The right of the way is the legal right to proceed first in a given traffic situation, meaning other drivers must yield to others. While merging onto the highway drivers must wait for others to pass or to let others pass, if a driver sees people trying to merge onto the highway and others do not let them the driver should slow down and let them pass. Always use your blinkers to get into the next lane or to turn somewhere else. Using the blinker will help others know a driver is going to switch lanes or turn into a place so they know to slow down and let that driver pass.
THESE are not just statistics; real families change forever just from a car crash. Many families wonder if it is safe to drive because of the high number of crashes in Utah. The lack of police watching people’s speed and driving abilities on the road has made people more comfortable with driving recklessly. Many do not understand that driving impaired is almost a guaranteed way to injure someone else, even if it is just five minutes.
THIS is why everyone should be tested on road etiquette and safe driving, if they are found breaking rules of the road their license should be suspended. Keep your eyes on the road not on your phone or passenger. Beware of others on the road and on the sidewalks waiting to crossroads. Safe driving everyone and remember, driving is a privilege.
