Fatal accidents down in Northern Utah as summer travel ends

Courtesy of the Utah Highway Patrol

LOGAN — The Utah Highway Patrol reports fatalities are down this year compared to 2016, as motorists are hitting the road for one last trip. The holiday weekend marks the end of summer and the “100 Deadliest Days,” the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

UHP Lt. Lee Perry, who covers Cache, Rich and Box Elder Counties, said troopers this year have investigated four crashes that have resulted in four deaths. Last year there were eight accidents, resulting in nine fatalities.

“It is a good reduction in number and it pairs with what the state is seeing as a whole,” Perry said. “I don’t want to call it a significant number because we are seeing still too many people die.”

The four fatalities are just for the accidents that troopers investigated. The fiery crash that killed Marcos Torres of Brigham City in July, was handled by Logan City Police officers because troopers were involved in a pursuit with the victim, just before the accident occurred.

Lee said as they have looked at the summer’s fatalities, there are two primary causes.

“Distracted driving was one of them that we had a problem in one of the crashes, along with seat belt usage. If you think back to the Richmond crash, where we lost the individual up there. It was both distracted when he swerved to miss a deer and he was not wearing a seat belt.”

During the holiday weekend, troopers will be working extra shifts as part of a state campaign called, “Be Sober Or Get Pulled Over.” Lee said they will be making sure drivers have a safe weekend and not a costly one.

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