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SALT LAKE CITY — A slightly downward trend in deaths on Utah roads, as the “100 deadliest days” comes to a close.
On this day, at the intersection at 4100 South 5600 West in West Valley City, became the scene of the 88th fatal crash on Utah Roads during this year’s “100 deadliest days.”
“Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable vehicles on the roadway,” said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Jeff Nigbur. “It’s very important that drivers of vehicles pay attention and know their surroundings and look out for every vehicle on the road way.”
Utah Highway Patrol troopers worked overtime on Labor Day weekend as the final “deadliest day” came to a close. Lt. Nigbur credits extra law enforcement presence has helped lower the number of road incidents.
“We’ve got a lot of troopers out right now enforcing the speed limit, looking for drunk drivers, looking for distracted drivers, those things that you typically see that cause fatalities,” he said.
Along with the increase in the number of troopers, Nigbur said the public plays a big part in helping lower the number of fatalities on the road.
“It’s never 100 percent law enforcement,” Lt. Nigbur said. “It’s always 50-50. The general public has to understand and help us with dropping fatalities. Hopefully, that’s taken place in the 100 deadliest days.”
Overall, this year deaths on Utah roads are down, but not by much. 88 fatalities this year during the 100 deadliest days compared to 89 last year — numbers troopers hope will stay down.
“I think it’s a good sign,” Lt. Nigbur said. “The question is: Can we continue this trend until the end of the year?”
