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SALT LAKE CITY — With the help of a $5,000 donation from local car dealers, the Utah Highway Patrol will put more troopers on the roads during one of the deadliest holiday weekends of the year.
UHP is planning 600 overtime shifts through Monday, placing troopers in strategic locations all over the state, "to prevent crashes before they occur," according to DPS spokesman Dwayne Baird. He said that with the same level of staffing during Easter weekend this year, Utah experienced a 50 percent decrease in total crashes when compared to previous years.
At least one person dies from traffic accidents each day of the Labor Day weekend in Utah.
At least one person dies from traffic accidents each day of the Labor Day weekend in Utah, according to statistics from the state's Department of Public Safety. Last year, crashes during Labor Day weekend resulted in three deaths, and in the past 10 years, 40 people have died in Labor Day traffic.
The holiday highway fatality rate rate has increased due to possible risk factors such as fatigue, impaired driving, long distance traveling, speeding and traveling on unfamiliar roadways.
Baird said troopers working through Monday evening will be putting special emphasis on locating drivers who are speeding, driving drowsy or distracted, those not wearing seat belts and those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The New Car Dealers of Utah's Good Wheels Foundation donated the funds for the enhanced enforcement this weekend and does so for many major holiday weekends to keep roads safe for residents of the communities it serves.
"Let's make this weekend of Labor Day accident-free and the safest on record, especially when it comes to taking drunk and impaired drivers off the road," said Craig Bickmore, executive director of the New Car Dealers of Utah. The foundation works to raise awareness of the serious problems caused by drunken drivers.
Holiday Weekend Fatalities
| Holiday | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Memorial Day | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Independence Day | 9 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 3 |
| Pioneer Day | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Labor Day | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Thanksgiving | 4 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Christmas | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
"With an increased presence on our highways this weekend, we hope to bring drivers into voluntary compliance that will result in fewer crashes," said UHP Col. Daniel Fuhr. "Our goal remains zero fatalities, one weekend at a time, and especially this holiday weekend."
Fuhr said that with the warm weather expected to continue through Monday, officials are expecting more motorcycles on the roads and urge riders to wear helmets.
While the deadliest weekend of the summer is typically the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Pioneer Day weekends come close to fatalities, and officials are hoping the numbers will decline with the reinforcements.
Email:wleonard@ksl.com
