SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 11, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Driving in Utah’s been pretty challenging the last couple of days, thanks to a rolling wave of nasty winter squalls which are sweeping across the state. But things could have been a heckuva lot worse, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
As of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, troopers counted 143 traffic accidents on the state’s highway in the previous 23 hours, according to Sgt. Cameron Roden, chief public information officer for the UHP.
At that moment, Tuesday night, I-15 at Point of the Mountain traffic was so snarled, snow plows were blocked and troopers were out on seven crashes in the Salt Lake Valley.
Amazingly, “None show any injuries,” Rosen said. Nor were there any fatalities.
Which was something of a surprise, for the same was true of the 101 crashes the UHP responded to on state highways all day Tuesday.
Even though Wednesday’s numbers were up, Roden said drivers are coming to grips with the challenge of tough winter driving.
Drivers are getting used to the snow, he said. “People are trying to plan their travel, it appears, or postpone it.” They’re also slowing down, giving up on traveling at normal freeway speeds.
The crash numbers don’t include stuck drivers, slide-offs with minimal damage or vehicles stalled or disabled with cold weather problems.
UDOT says the widespread travel impacts “will linger into the morning on Thursday, where many road surfaces remain slushy or ice covered.
“Valley temperatures falling to near 20F and mountain temps in the single digits will mean roads will remain in poor condition through the Thursday morning commute,” UDOT posted.
