100 Deadliest Days Of Summer Sees Decrease In Fatalities Over 2018
Sep 5, 2019, 8:11 AM | Updated: 1:25 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah’s 100 Deadliest Days of Summer may be over, but drivers’ responsibility to stay safe on the state’s roads are not.
On Thursday, the Utah Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety announced the Beehive State had nearly 40% fewer deaths on the roads than last year at this time.
The announcement was made at Intermountain Medical Center, where medical staff often treat victims of crashes.
Last year at this time, more than 100 crashes had turned deadly. In 2019, that number is 64. Still, even one death on Utah roads is one too many.
The Zero Fatalities partnership between the DPS and UDOT is acknowledging drivers for their large improvement during the Deadliest Days of Summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In fact, the nearly 40% decrease in deaths on Utah roads from crashes is record setting for the state. That’s 41 fewer deaths than last year, according to UDOT.
“If we can make this type of improvement during what has statistically been our most dangerous time to be driving on the roads, what can we do the rest of the year?” said UDOT Deputy Director Jason Davis. “We’ve had a 144 days where we haven’t had a fatality this year on our roads.”
According to the two agencies, that progress is due to drivers putting down the phones, not driving intoxicated, going the speed limit, driving aware and wearing a seat belts. However, there is always room for improvements, officials said. The goal is zero fatalities for an entire year.
