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SALT LAKE CITY — With triple digits creeping up, you may be taking a road trip, venturing into the canyons to catch a break from the heat. Heading to the water, many people will be pulling boats and other big items.
Before heading out, state troopers reminded Utahns to have good trailer handling.
"Double-check those hookups to make sure they are hooked up to your vehicle properly. We've had a few crashes in the last little bit where boats have come off from trailers," said Lt. Cameron Roden with the Utah Highway Patrol.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers are often the ones responding to crashes on the roads and in the canyons. Roden said on the winding and windy stretches going up the canyon, drivers are often faced with one-lane roads where traffic may get stacked up with large vehicles pulling loads going slow uphill.
A lot of times, too many chances are taken in passing when drivers should not do so.
"So really watch your speed as you're in those areas, making sure you're able to spot any hazards as you come up on those things but also be able to maintain your lane," Roden said.
That includes keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife when taking turns and being aware of how hard you are hitting the gas.
Speaking of gas, it is never a good time to let the tank get close to empty when you're on the road, let alone in triple-digit heat.
"Being able to have a full tank of gas because we've seen a lot of individuals run out of gas in those times where there's a lot of traffic on the roadway and they are stuck without A/C. They are stuck in these hot conditions where inside a car it heats up really fast," Roden said.
Troopers said at the end of the day, going back to the basics helps prevent crashes with speed being the No. 1 contributor to crashes, including in the summertime.
