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Deaths on Utah highways jumped 16 percent in 2014, reversing a trend in which fatalities had dropped 41 percent during the previous 13 years.

The lion's share of the big increase came from deaths among motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

In addition, half the rest of motor vehicle fatalities were people who did not wear seat belts.

"We've lost our progress," Jason Davis, operations director for the Utah Department of Transportation, told the Utah Transportation Commission on Friday. "We haven't seen numbers this high in years," since 2008.

Among the preliminary 2014 figures:

• Total Utah road deaths increased from 220 to 256. That is up by 36 people, or 16 percent.

• Motorcycle deaths rose from 31 to 45, a leap of 14 people, up 45 percent.

• Pedestrian deaths went from 31 to 39, up by eight. That's a 26 percent bump.

• Bicycle deaths grew from six to nine, up by three people, or 50 percent.

"Those are not numbers that any state in the country wants to see," Davis said. He noted that national officials have seen similar trends in early reporting from several states.

"Part of that is you see more people traveling with the economy improving," Davis said. "Unfortunately, it turns into a math game. You get more exposure and more opportunity for crashes. So the numbers tend to creep up."

Of the total increase of 36 deaths, 25 came from motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists. UDOT spokesman John Gleason said the agency plans to boost safety-education efforts for those groups.

For example, he said, the number of pedestrians killed on Utah freeways rose from one in 2013 to nine last year.

"It shows that freeways are no place for pedestrians," he said. Some are killed while inspecting damage in fender benders; others get hit while walking for gasoline.

He urged motorists who run out of gas to remain buckled in their vehicles and wait for an incident-management team "that will come along and give them free gas to get them on their way."

People in minor accidents, he said, should proceed to the next exit, if possible. If not, he said, they should stay in their cars, remain buckled up and call or wait for help.

Davis said all pedestrians should use more caution and not assume cars will see and stop for them. "Several of these pedestrian fatalities that recently happened have been in marked crosswalks, some even with lights flashing or overhead lighting. Those painted lines don't slow down any cars."

Transportation Commission Chairman Jeffrey Holt said, "It's still pretty clear that helmets are an issue with motorcycles," and their increasing deaths.

Utah does not require wearing helmets. Several attempts through the years to pass such a law died amid arguments that it interferes with personal freedom.

Davis noted about half the motor vehicle fatalities — not counting pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists — were people who were not wearing seat belts.

Surveys show about 83 percent of Utahns wear seat belts, Gleason said. "But the 17 percent who don't wear them account for half the deaths."

Utah law does not allow police to cite motorists for not wearing a seat belt unless they pull drivers over for a separate violation. Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, a Utah Highway Patrol lieutenant, is pushing HB79 to allow ticketing directly for not wearing seat belts.

UDOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras said his agency supports that bill and noted that similar legislation has failed after going up against arguments that it, too, interferes with personal choice.

Opponents also argue it affects only the person who chooses not to buckle up.

But, Braceras said, an unbuckled person in a car where others are properly restrained "becomes a projectile," and increases by 40 percent the risk that someone else in the car will be seriously injured.

He said many minor crashes become serious because an unbuckled driver could not remain behind the wheel. "The forces are just too strong to be able to keep control of the car," he said, and that vehicle may kill others.

The rate of Utah fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 0.93 in 2014, up from 0.81. The national average in recent years has hovered around 1.1.

"From a national perspective, it's not terrible, but it's not what we want. We want to have that number drop every year," Davis said.

Utah fatalities dropped from 373 in 2000 to 220 in 2013, a 41 percent decline.