UHP: Trend Of 100+ MPH Speeding Continued Over Pioneer Day Weekend
Jul 27, 2020, 10:40 PM | Updated: 11:25 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Over a busy Pioneer Day weekend that saw state troopers make nearly 3,500 traffic stops on Utah roads, Utah Highway Patrol officials said a concerning trend once again emerged in the form of triple-digit speeders.
Col. Michael Rapich said Monday that troopers stopped 75 cars that were traveling at more than 100 mph.
“At that level of speed, the chances of being able to safely navigate that goes down dramatically,” Rapich said. “If anything goes wrong at those speeds, it’s probably going to end tragically.”
UHP's Pioneer Day weekend (07/23-07/26) enforcement stats.
Traffic Stops: 3,490
Speed Contacts: 2,394
DUI Arrests: 44
Careless/Reckless(41-6a-1715): 6
Seat Belt Contacts: 299
Public Assists: 996Great work, Troops!
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) July 27, 2020
So far this year, UHP troopers have stopped more than 2,700 vehicles that were going over 100 mph.
Rapich said that number is up roughly 30 percent from the same period last year.
Troopers have also been involved in double the number of pursuits this year that they had last year at this time, Rapich said.
While spikes in the numbers were initially observed as the COVID-19 pandemic cleared roadways earlier this year, Rapich said it was unclear exactly what was responsible for the trend.
“We’re not really sure,” Rapich said. “It’s aggressive driving at an extreme level.”
Over the holiday weekend, troopers made 44 DUI arrests as well as six stops for road behavior considered to be careless or reckless.
Rapich urged caution.
“It’s dangerous — it’s something we take very seriously,” Rapich said. “If you’re caught driving those kinds of excess speeds, you’ll probably have your vehicle impounded and there’s a very high likelihood you may end up in jail. It’s that serious.”
