Deadly season on Utah roads ends with 6 weekend deaths

SALT LAKE CITY — Officials with the Utah Highway Patrol reported four fatalities over the Labor Day weekend while two more Utahns died in crashes along the Wasatch Front.

Labor Day marks the official end of the 100 deadliest days of summer.

UHP and UDOT now call their campaign to reduce road fatalities “Summer Safely,” but as that campaign wraps up, troopers say they’re saddened to see more fatalities.

“Having three crashes with four fatalities, it’s tough,” said UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden. “And it’s tough for families to have to deal with that after a holiday weekend. It’s disappointing for us, especially when we have so many additional patrols out there, trying to make sure people are safe.”

On Saturday, a motorcyclist lost control on a curve in Logan Canyon and was hit by a truck pulling a trailer.

On Sunday night, a single-car rollover killed a driver in San Juan County.

Investigators said it’s unclear at this point what forced the driver off the road.

And near Zion National Park, a driver overcorrected and veered into traffic on state Route 9.

“They corrected back to the left. As they did so, they spun into the path of a van that hit them on the passenger side, killing the two occupants,” said Roden.

UHP officials reported an increase in the number of tickets issued for drivers going more than 100 mph.

They also said road aggression is on the rise.

They said those factors become compounded with more people on the roads.

In the last month, UHP has added 115 extra shifts to increase patrols for DUI, vehicle and enforcement.

Two more fatal crashes were reported by officials with the Riverton and Ogden police departments, bringing the total number of deaths over the Labor Day weekend to six.

A 23-year-old woman was killed early Saturday morning in a single-car rollover crash near 13400 South and Bangerter Highway in Riverton while a 40-year-old man died in a head-on collision near 1100 North and Washington Boulevard in Ogden Friday night.