Utah’s rising car fatalities vs. high safety ratings

In 2021, the number of car crash fatalities across the United States was the most on record in over a decade, with nearly 43,000 deaths. The three main reasons behind the increase in severe car crash injuries or death, according to Kustom Signals, Inc. , are speeding, drunk driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

In 2022, the Utah Department of Public Safety Highway Safety Office reported the following car crash statistics:

• 58,992 crashes.
• 25,325 injuries.
• 319 fatalities.

Of those deaths, the majority occurred in the 20-29-year-old age range, and “for every 4 fatalities, 3 were male and 1 was female” and “a person died in a crash every 27.5 hours.”

That said, a recent MarketWatch guide reported that Utah ranked among the top 10 states with the safest roads for drivers. States were rated on a scale of 1-10 on safety, with 10 being the most dangerous.

Top 5 safest states to drive in:

1. Minnesota — 1.56.
2. North Dakota — 2.45.
3. Nevada — 2.72.
4. Kansas — 2.79.
5. South Dakota — 2.92.

Utah ranked sixth overall with a road safety score of 2.92 and 19.2 fatal injuries per every 100,000 licensed drivers.