Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST VALLEY CITY — When Utah Highway Patrol Col. Michael Rapich looks at the data of all the crashes that occurred last year, he says they go beyond numbers.
In all, 320 people were killed in crashes on Utah roadways in 2021 — the deadliest year on the state's roads since 2002, when 329 people were killed.
There were also 1,641 series injuries reported throughout 2021, up about 6% from the previous year, which is also the most in over a decade.
"They're not just numbers. They have huge impacts, they destroy lives, they're violent, they're terrible and horrible," Rapich said, as the state transportation and public safety officials released their preliminary report of 2021 crashes on Utah roadways.
Inside the statistics
This is the second-straight year that deaths have increased by double digits percentage-wise. The 320 deaths is a 16% increase from 2020, which was an 11% increase from 2019. Prior to that, the number of deaths had dropped annually from 2016 to 2019.
The rise in fatalities and serious injuries were the result of a few unsafe trends that emerged in 2020 and lingered into 2021, according to Utah Department of Public Safety and Utah Department of Transportation statistics.
Speed and aggressive-related deaths remain high, following decade-high levels in 2020. There were 81 deaths attributed to speeding last year and 20 tied to aggressive driving in 2021.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers made over 123,000 speed-related traffic stops throughout the year, highlighting some of the speed-related trends in the state. Authorities added that over 4,700 people were even caught speeding over 100 mph during the past year.
There were also 120 deaths tied to impaired driving, which was a 13% decline from 2020, but still the second-highest number since 2013.
Of those, about half were alcohol-related. In fact, the average drunk driver had a blood alcohol content level of 0.165% in 2021 — or more than three times the legal limit, authorities said.
There was also an increase in teen-related fatal crashes and deaths. Forty-four fatal crashes involved a teen driver, tying 2016 with the most in the past decade. Those crashes resulted the deaths of 30 teens — also the highest in five years.
The number of people wearing seat belts was one of the only things that really decreased in 2021. The rate of people wearing seat belts dropped to a five-year low of 88%, which had deadly consequences, according to the report. Seventy-four people — or nearly a fourth of all deaths — involved someone who was not restrained, which is a marked increase from 64 in 2020.
"That is such a no-brainer. The one thing every single one of us can do as soon as we get into a vehicle," Rapich said.
While most of the deaths involved motorists driving cars or trucks, the statistics also include motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
There were 37 motorcyclists killed in 2021, a 16% drop from 2020. There were also fewer bicyclists killed — six in 2021 compared to eight in 2020. However, there were 44 pedestrians killed on Utah roads in 2021, a 22% increase from the previous year.
While those deaths decreased, serious injuries rose to decade-high levels in nearly all three categories. There were 291 motorcyclists, 134 pedestrians and 54 bicyclists who suffered serious injuries throughout the year, the report indicates.
I-15 regained the dubious title as Utah's deadliest road, as there were 49 deaths on that freeway in 2021 — double the deaths in 2020. That includes eight people who died in weather-related pile-up crashes in Millard County during the summer.
U.S. 89 held that unwanted title with 25 deaths in 2020. There were 22 deaths on that highway in 2021.
Trying to reverse trends
There's still no definitive reason as to why deaths on Utah roadways have drastically changed over the past two years. However, Carlos Braceras, executive director at the Utah Department of Transportation, said the stress of a COVID-19 pandemic — that seemingly never ceases to end — and the impacts that it has caused the past two years are definitely factors.
"We are facing an uphill battle but the bottom line is there is absolutely no other answer and no other choice. Zero is the only acceptable number.
– Carlos Braceras, the executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation
There have been plenty of other hardships, including social issues and natural disasters that Utahns have navigated. Braceras believes some of those issues have brought on some of the deadly trends they've witnessed in the past two years.
"The last two years have been hard for all of us. We've all lived through a lot of changes and challenges. ... It's not a stretch to say this stress is also taking a toll on our roads," he said. "It's an understatement to say there have been a lot of changes, demands, and stresses in our lives in the last two years. It's not a stretch to say this stress is also taking a toll on our roads."
Whatever it may be, he resigns that the state continues to see "increases across the board."
That hasn't really leveled off in the first week of the new year, either, he said.
While the number of total crashes has decreased about 72% through the first few days of 2022 compared to last year, authorities point out that there have already been four fatal crashes resulting in four deaths — both higher than 2021 began.
It's leading transportation and safety experts to figure out ways to curb the recent trends.
The number of deaths on Utah's roadways prior to 2002 helped prompt driver-safety programs like Zero Fatalities in 2006. The U.S. Department of Transportation also attributed enforcement initiatives and engineering improvements for a reduction of deaths on Utah roads in the 2000s.
Similar efforts may be on the horizon as Utah experts again explore ways to reduce the number of fatal crashes in the state. Zero Fatalities plans to launch a new safety education campaign later this month called "Destinations," which aims to use Utah's outdoor splendor and gatherings with friends and family as a reminder that "wonderful moments" are retained with safe driving.
The campaign will be featured online, through broadcast TV and on billboards across the state.
"We are facing an uphill battle but the bottom line is there is absolutely no other answer and no other choice," Braceras said. "Zero is the only acceptable number."
