Roadway deaths in Utah hit nearly 20-year high last year

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — They were parents. They were children. They were well-loved community members. They were simply doing their jobs.

They were the 320 people who died on Utah roadways in 2021, according to data from the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Highway Patrol.

“These are not just statistics,” UHP Colonel Michael Rapich told the Salt Lake Tribune. “These are horrible, tragic events that involve violent tragedy.”

State troopers, including Rapich, are there to witness these deaths, witness the gruesome injuries, tell families that a loved one didn’t arrive home safely. They also know that more than 90% of these crashes would be prevented, Rapich said, if the drivers weren’t speeding, weren’t intoxicated, weren’t distracted with their phones.

“They feel strongly about it, and they take it personally when they see – whether it be an impaired driver or an aggressive driver or distracted driving or all these behaviors that are absolutely preventable and people should know better,” Rapich said. “That’s impactful with our troopers.”

Speeding vehicles and impaired drivers caused the largest segment of deaths, 81 and 138 respectively.

Seventy-four people who died were not wearing seatbelts. About 12% of Utahns don’t wear seatbelts, Braceras said, even though they are the “simplest, easiest” way to reduce serious injuries or death.

Up more than 15% since 2020, last year saw the highest number of deaths in nearly two decades when 329 people died in 2002, according to UDOT and UHP data released Wednesday.

“The numbers are absolutely devastating to people here in our organization and to our partners at Highway Patrol who work so hard to get to zero fatalities,” UDOT director Carlos Braceras said.

Drivers don’t...