SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 30, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Fresh stats from the Utah Highway Patrol confirm it — there’s been a big jump in wrong-way crashes of late, and a large leap in lead-footed drivers putting the pedal to the metal.
The numbers just released on the UHP Facebook page count 20 wrong-way crashes in its jurisdiction, typically Interstate-15, in the first two months of the year.
That is up 82 percent from the same time period last year, according to UHP record-keeping. In that same time frame, the UHP also collected 45 wrong-way drivers who didn’t crash.
In addition to the startling wrong-way driving trends, Utahns are suddenly showing a need for speed. The UHP says so far this year, it’s made 1,385 traffic stops involving drivers traveling in excess of 100 mph.
The department urges caution as the most dangerous time of year for driving approaches as summer nears.
