Estimated read time: 2-3 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.
SALT LAKE CITY — A deadly weekend on Utah roads is now putting the summer on pace to be deadlier than last year, and that's a reversal from how the summer started.
On Monday, the Utah Highway Patrol said Utah started the summer with deaths on the road down 14% from Memorial Day to now, compared to last year. However, with all the deaths this weekend and last, we've now jumped ahead of 2023 numbers, trending in the wrong direction.
Eleven people died over the weekend on Utah roads, including 20-year-old Lindsay VanOrman, killed in a hit-and-run Saturday in Millcreek.
When you look at this year's fatal crashes since the beginning of what's called the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, Utah's had 63 deadly crashes, with 69 people killed since Memorial Day. Compare that to this same time last year, and we're up 10 more deadly crashes than 2023 and six more deaths.
When asked what's behind the increase in crashes, UHP said two-thirds of them are crashes only involving one car.
"That could mean a lot of things: distracted driving, it could mean fatigue, it could mean, you know, people going too fast," said UHP Lt. Cameron Roden.
To reduce the number of deaths going forward, troopers tell drivers to slow down, remove distractions like texting behind the wheel, and wear your seat belt. Roden said that's the No. 1 thing that'll protect you in any crash.
Another possible reason behind our rise in deadly crashes over the last two weekends is the number of people drinking and driving. Roden said some of the recent crashes involved drivers partying for Pioneer Day. That's why troopers want to remind you not to drink and drive — it may save your life, or the life of someone else on the road.
