TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Motorcycle crashes are on the rise across Utah. In 2023, there have been 22 motorcycle fatalities so far.
Two days ago, two Davis County Sheriff’s deputies died while riding. On Wednesday morning, a crash in Nephi sent two people to the hospital in serious condition after a motorcycle lost control and went down.
Two more crashes involving motorcycles happened in South Salt Lake and Farr West on Wednesday.
“It makes me really sad because a lot of the crashes that are happening are very avoidable,” said Suzanne Woods, a Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider coach.
Data from the Utah Department of Public Safety shows that between Memorial Day and July 5, there have been 13 fatal crashes. Up from 9 crashes last year, and 6 crashes the year before that, for the same roughly six-week period.
"The rate that we've seen increase this summer is alarming,” said Jason Mettmann, with the Utah Highway Safety Office.
There is about a 50-50 split when it comes to drivers and riders about whose fault the crash is – so everyone needs to be vigilant on the roads.
“Don’t go above your skill level, slow down in curbs, make sure you’re not going outside your curb and into another lane,” said Woods. “Slow, look, press, roll – slow down, look through your turn, press on your motorcycle to lean and then roll through."
“Riding something with two wheels, you’re so exposed. Everything is defensive, but also you have to be on the offense watching out for everything that’s coming,” said Garrett Penrose, with a member of the Rogue Souls Motorcycle Club.
“I see more texting drivers than I thought I would ever see,” said Anthony Wood, who has been riding for about 4 years.
“There is a small percentage of motorcycle riders out there that give all of us a bad name,” said Wood. “What I want drivers to realize is that we’re not all that one rider that they spotted going down the freeway at 140 miles an hour. A vast majority of us do take responsibility and ride safely.”
If you are a beginner or an expert rider, there are safety classes you can take to hone your skills. “I’ve taken them a couple times, and every time I take it, it teaches me something new,” said Justin Long. “I’ve been riding for a long time and it will always teach you something you might have forgotten that you’re not paying attention to.”
DPS is offering a 25-percent discount on classes available here.
