990 people hit during 2023-24 school year; Utahns urged to change bad driving behaviors

LAYTON — As six more school districts in Utah returned to school Tuesday, new data revealed that auto-pedestrian crashes during the traditional school year are on the rise.

According to data from the Utah Department of Public Safety’s Highway Safety Office, 990 Utahns were hit by vehicles during the 2023-24 school year, Aug. 1 — June 30, and 34 people were killed.

During the 2022-23 school year, 755 Utahns were hit by vehicles, and 36 people were killed.

“Our fatalities are slightly down, but our crashes are through the roof,” Katherine Hemphill, Vulnerable Roadway User Program manager with Utah’s Highway Safety Office, said.

When looking into the data, it showed that a significant number of auto-pedestrian crashes happened during peak commute hours for school; 8 a.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.

Crossing guard pleads with drivers to slow down, pay attention as students head back to school

“People are rushing to work, rushing to get kids to school, to get home from school,” Hemphill said. “And it’s a mix of driving behaviors, pedestrian behaviors, people not paying attention, and people on their phones.”

In January, Morgan Nelson was one of the 990 people hit.

“I could be standing there with a stop sign and they just look right through me, watching the cars to see when they could make it,” Nelson said.

Nelson was working as a crossing guard at 3200 West Hill Field Road in Layton when a driver failed to see her step onto the crosswalk.

“I stepped off the corner and before I knew it a car turning left, she didn’t see me at all,” Nelson said. “She was going about 25-30 miles an hour, hit me on the side, and I flipped up onto her hood and was thrown.”

Nelson escaped a major head injury, but she suffered a serious injury to her leg.

“The point of impact was my left upper thigh, and it damaged my IT band (iliotibial band), so I had a lot of pain from my hip all the way to my knee,” she said. “I lost range of motion in my left leg. I had a lot of weakness in my left leg. I wasn’t able to do things for myself anymore.”

It has taken months for Nelson’s leg to recover, but even now she still has pain. She’s also had to heal mentally.

“I was in mental health counseling for months trying to get over it. I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t walk in a parking lot,” she said.

Nelson said prior to being hit she witnessed several close calls – too many to count. She said daily she would see cars pushing hard yellows, or even running red lights. She was nearly clipped several times by drivers not waiting for her to clear the crosswalk – which is the law.

“We had so many people that were confused and thought they could turn left around us or could turn right when we’re out in the middle, and I just want to remind drivers that if a guard is in the intersection, you cannot enter the intersection,” Nelson said. “Sometimes, there are just a little tiny kid, you just don’t want to risk it, just slow down and wait for the guard to get back to their corner.”

Nelson hoped that by sharing her experience, it would resonate with drivers and encourage them to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening on the road. She said the goal is to protect the children in her community, including her own.

“I just want drivers to know that these kids really have faith in you that you’re going to follow the rules, so you’ve got to follow the rules,” she said.

Earlier this year, the Utah Department of Public Safety launched a new safety campaign in hopes of reducing the number of crashes involving vulnerable roadway users. The catchphrase of the campaign: “Meet me in the middle so your paths don’t.”

“We’re trying to encourage both drivers and pedestrians to do their part to make the choice to be a safe driver or safe pedestrian and meet in the middle, so your paths don’t,” Hemphill said.

“Every time you get behind the wheel, you need to make a choice to be safe, even if it takes a couple minutes longer on your commute to work. Even if it sets you back in your morning, that’s not worth somebody’s life.”

Hemphill said as our seasons shift and it gets darker during commute hours, pedestrians are encouraged to wear reflective clothing or to clip a flashing light to their backpack or shirt.

They’re also encouraged to put away their cell phones while walking and focus on their surroundings. Click here to learn more.

“Pedestrians are one of the most vulnerable users of the roadway. They are not protected by a seatbelt, they’re not protected by metal and glass,” she said. “Pedestrian accidents are 12 times more likely to result in a fatality.”

Over the next few weeks, as students continue to return to school, Hemphill said extra law enforcement will monitor school zones throughout Utah to help reinforce good driving behaviors and to remind pedestrians of their role in keeping themselves safe.