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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol is warning drivers to be careful on U.S. 6 after a horrific crash and a semitruck fire shut down the road over the weekend. That stretch of road goes from Spanish Fork to Price.
"We've had quite a few crashes on that roadway," Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden said. "It's a mountainous roadway with a lot of turns and twist. It is a high-altitude roadway; snow and temperatures play a big part of that."
6-year-old dies in Utah highway crash
A 6-year-old died in a crash involving a semitruck along U.S. 6 on Sunday.Early Sunday morning, a 6-year-old girl died in a head-on collision. Investigators said the driver of the truck the girl was riding in became drowsy. Another multi-vehicle crash that happened on Monday afternoon sent four people to the hospital. Hours later, U.S. 6 had to be shut down again when a semitruck went up in flames.
"We kind of see some common denominators, whether that be distraction, fatigue, improper passing or speed too fast for that roadway," Roden said.
He said in 2022 there were 360 crashes and eight fatalities. In 2023 there were 208 crashes with 13 people killed. And this year since January 1, there have been 27 crashes with one death.
He said the best safety tips for drivers include being alert, slowing down and not driving too fast around corners, and "if fatigue is starting to set in, make sure you stop and switch drivers," he said.
"Make sure you don't get impatient when trying to pass when it's not safe to do so," Roden said.
The Utah Department of Transportation said it has done several major projects over the years to keep the road safe. It widened the roadway with added passing lanes, put in rumble strips to wake drivers up if they are crossing the line, and crews just completed a median barrier project at Soldier Summit to try to prevent crossover crashes. Plus, more is coming.
"Our transportation commission just approved an additional project that's going to put more median barriers in, and that's going to be a big focus going forward," said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. "But with everything that we do, we need people to do their part as well. That means driving focused, driving with their seat belts on, and don't drive aggressively and don't speed."
