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Do Your Part

Speed, distraction, impairment, aggression and not wearing a seatbelt are all leading causes of crashes and fatalities. Every one of these are deliberate behaviors – something you make a choice to do. By making safer, more informed decisions when we get into a vehicle, we can all do our part.

• Don’t drive distracted

  • ‌  Between 2017 and 2021, a total of 27,514 crashes occurred because of distracted driving. These crashes resulted in 15,004 injuries and 83 deaths.
  • ‌ Drivers under the age of 20 are involved in 31% of distracted driving crashes, more than any other age group. 

  Distractions come in many forms:

  • Cognitive distractions, such as talking to passengers, take your mind off the road
  • Visual distractions, such as looking at a navigation system, take your eyes off the road
  • Manual distractions, such as eating or drinking, take your hands off the wheel

  Many common distractions combine one or more of the above categories. This includes things like operating a navigation system, changing music, eating or drinking, applying makeup, talking on a cell phone and texting.

  Utah law prohibits handheld telephone use, including texting while operating a moving vehicle. Texting while driving can earn you both a ticket and a criminal conviction.

• Never drive under the influence, or ride with someone who is

  • ‌ College students are more likely to drive impaired than their same-age, non-college peers.
  • ‌ 10% of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ students (compared to 15% of US students) who drink alcohol reported driving after having any amount.
  • ‌ 40% of 91¶ÌÊÓƵ students (compared to 30% of US students) who use cannabis products reported driving within six hours of using.
  • ‌ After alcohol, cannabis is the substance most often associated with impaired driving.

  DUI laws apply to more than just alcohol. A driver is considered impaired when they’ve had any substance that alters the way they function. This can include drugs, prescription medications, and even over-the-counter medications. 

  Unfortunately, people are terrible judges of whether or not they’re impaired, and studies show that you are impaired before you feel the effects of the substance.  Furthermore, you can’t judge someone’s impairment by the way they look or act. Many things can mask someone’s impairment, including their individual tolerance levels, whether they’re on other medications, and even if they’ve had a caffeinated drink. None of these things cancel out the impairment – they just mask it.

  What about cannabis/marijuana? There’s a shocking misperception that it’s okay to drive after using cannabis products. While you may feel differently after using cannabis than you do with alcohol, you are still impaired! Cannabis affects many parts of your brain that control movement, balance, coordination, attention, perception, memory and judgment – all things you need to be at their best to safely operate a vehicle – and these effects can last longer than the high.

  Unfortunately, there are no clear guidelines on how long to wait after using cannabis before you can safely drive, with ranges suggesting anywhere from 4-12 hours.

  Bottom line – if you’re drinking or using other substances, including cannabis, plan on getting a ride home through a sober friend, a rideshare, or even public transportation.

• Don’t drive aggressively

  Aggressive driving is more than just “road rage.”  It includes behaviors like speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of lanes, failure to yield and running red lights or stop signs. Most people are guilty of some degree of aggressive driving – and it costs lives.

  • ‌ 32% of all fatal crashes in Utah are speed related.
  • ‌ Speed related crashes are 2.7 times more likely to result in a death than all other types of crashes.

  Over 80% of crashes happen on days with clear skies and dry roads. These conditions can make drivers more complacent, taking risks that they might not in poor weather conditions. In fact, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is often referred to as the “100 Deadliest Days.” During this time frame, fatal crashes nearly double compared to the rest of the year. July of 2024 was the deadliest month on Utah record, with 49 deaths from vehicle crashes.

  How can you reduce your risk?

  Calm down and slow down. Getting stressed out, angry, or upset won’t get you anywhere any faster– it just makes things more dangerous. Running late? You might not get there at all if you’re speeding, running red lights, or weaving lanes. If you encounter an aggressive driver, resist the urge to retaliate, honk or make rude gestures. Back off, give them space, and let them go! You won’t teach them a lesson, and it’s not your job to do so.

• Make sure everyone wears a seatbelt

  Wearing your seatbelt is the #1 thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash. According to a 2023 91¶ÌÊÓƵ survey from the Utah Highway Safety Office, 92% of adults in Utah wear their seatbelt.

  Wearing a seatbelt isn’t just smart – it’s the law, and you can be cited, as a driver, if anyone in your vehicle isn’t properly restrained. That’s because seat belt use is more than just a personal decision – it affects other people on the roads and other passengers as well. 

  • Wearing a seatbelt helps the driver to stay in the driver seat and maintain control of the vehicle.
  • In a crash, unbuckled passengers can become a deadly projectile, with the force equal to their weight times the speed of travel. In other words, a 100-pound person traveling at 50 miles/hour would hit with a force of 500 pounds! Unbuckled passengers increase the risk of hurting or killing others in the car by 40%.
  • There’s a myth that it’s safer to be “thrown clear” of a vehicle in a crash, but this simply isn’t true. Three out of four people who are ejected during a crash die from their injuries.

  Make sure everyone in your vehicle is properly restrained – for everyone’s safety!

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