This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If the Utah Highway Patrol has its way, a flood of troopers — and public education — will help take some of the sting out of the upcoming "100 Deadliest Days" period of traffic fatalities.
Beginning Monday, Memorial Day, and ending with Labor Day, Sept. 4, Utah has averaged 100 deaths on its roads — roughly 40 percent of the state's annual total for traffic fatalities — over the past three years running, said Trooper Jared Cornia.
Of those, 30 percent were due to lack of seat belt use; 22 percent involved excessive speed; and 12 percent were blamed on drug or alcohol use.
However, there was some, marginally at least, good news heading into this year's 100 Deadliest Days.
"Actually, we're down six [fatalities] so far this year compared to last," Cornia said Friday. "Between Jan. 1 and May 25 in 2016 there were 88 fatal crashes, resulting in 95 deaths statewide [during the same period]."
As for the coming Memorial Day weekend, the summer's opening holiday period has averaged three traffic-accident deaths annually since 2014. Cornia and his fellow troopers want to see that number at zero, come next Tuesday morning.
Along with outdoor recreationists and families heading to campsites in Utah's national and state parks and forests this weekend, UHP personnel will be out in force, too. In all, 464 overtime shifts have been approved in addition to normal trooper shifts.
Cornia said UHP not only will be on the hunt for seat belt violators, speeders, impaired and distracted drivers on the state's freeways and highways, but troopers plan to help police in Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties with DUI enforcement.
Driver education also is a priority. In addition to television and radio advertisements urging roadway care, the Utah Department of Public Safety and UHP will regularly post safety messages and updates on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information and driving safety tips, visit the Zero Fatalities website at http://ut.zerofatalities.com.
Twitter: @remims