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Utah sees increase in fatal crashes during ‘100 Deadliest Days’ of 2018

Posted at 4:27 PM, Sep 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-05 18:27:32-04

UTAH -- More people died on Utah roads this year during the summer than during the same time frame in 2017, the Utah Highway Patrol said Wednesday.

In 2017, 90 people died during the 100 Deadliest Days. This year, 102 people died.

Officials with UDOT and UHP say they are perplexed by the uptick in fatal incidents. They say for all intents and purposes, the number of people killed on Utah roads should be going down due to advances in road and car safety.

"This summer has been absolutely terrible on Utah roads," said John Gleason, a UDOT Spokesperson. "We've seen 102 deaths. That's a death every day from Memorial Day weekend through to Labor Day."

Officials with UHP recommended that drivers try to eliminate distractions in their vehicle, and focus more on the roads.