The ‘100 deadliest days’ are over. How did Utah motorists fare?

The 102 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day are famously known as the “100 deadliest days” and now, they’re over. During this period each year, fatalities on the road tend to increase.

The Utah Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety and Utah Department of Transportation have released a report with preliminary statistics regarding 2024′s 100 deadliest days on Utah roads compiled using the Utah Transportation & Public Safety Crash Data Initiative.

How did Utahns fare on the road this summer?

Was 2024 better than 2023 for Utahns on the road?

According to the preliminary numbers 101 people lost their lives on the road this summer, up from the 81 lives lost during the same period in 2023, an almost 25% increase in fatalities. There were 91 fatal crashes in total. Seven of them occurred in May with seven fatalities, 19 in June yielding 19 fatalities, 42 in July with 49 fatalities, 22 in August with 25 fatalities and one in September producing one fatality.

July was the most fatal month on record. There were 15,023 crashes in total on Utah roads this summer, compared to 14,601 in the summer of 2023.

In 2023, 50 motorists died, with 15 of them being teenagers. 23 motorcyclists, four pedestrians and four bicyclists died in 2023. This year, 53 motorists, nine of whom were teenagers, died, as well as 27 motorcyclists, 14 pedestrians and three bicyclists.

From January to September, there has been a 6% increase in fatalities from the same period last year.

Who got into fatal crashes and what influenced them?

Here are some key facts:

• 89% of fatalities recorded were adults over 20.
• 72% of fatalities were male, 23% were female and 4% were unknown.
• In 66% of the fatal crashes, only one vehicle was involved. Two vehicles were involved in 30% of the crashes and only 2% saw three vehicles involved.
• Speed contributed to 40% of the fatalities.

Besides speed, the statistics reveal other circumstance contributed to the crashes, but 58 of the fatalities have not had contributing factors identified yet.

Other contributing factors include:

• Failure to yield the right-of-way: nine fatalities
• Disregarded traffic signs/signals: one fatality
• Improper lane usage: one fatality
• Aggressive/Reckless driving: nine fatalities
• Distracted driving: three fatalities
• Drowsy driving: one fatality
• Over-correcting: three fatalities
• Suspected DUI: seven fatalities
• Hit and run: one fatality

The report makes note of the fact that diagnosing distracted driving, drowsy driving, speed and drug and alcohol related circumstances is difficult due to behavior being relatively unknown after a crash has already occurred.

How to avoid becoming a statistic?

Besides avoiding certain behaviors — like distracted, drowsy, drunk, and aggressive/reckless driving — there are a few things you can do to stay safe on the road and protect others.

As the Deseret News previously reported , drivers should stay alert, watch for people along the road, continually scan the road for hazards and other drivers and change lanes when you see vehicles with flashing lights on the side of the road.

And, sometimes, it’s OK to be a backseat driver! Be an alert passenger and point out hazards or dangerous behavior to the driver. Ultimately, though, the onus of safety is on drivers.