Utah Crash Summary, 2009

NHTSA · 2010 · ROSA P / Utah. Dept. of Public Safety

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Summary

The *Utah Crash Summary 2009*, published by the Utah Department of Public Safety, analyzes traffic safety trends and crash statistics in Utah for the year 2009. The report aims to heighten awareness of traffic safety issues and identify areas for targeted safety programs to reduce injuries and fatalities. Data was derived from traffic crash reports filed by law enforcement officers for incidents involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,500, with fatal crash data supplemented by the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). In 2009, Utah recorded 51,367 reported crashes, resulting in 22,847 injuries and 244 deaths. These figures represented a decrease from 2008, with total crashes dropping by nearly 9% and fatalities declining by 12%. The death rate per vehicle mile traveled remained below the national average, and 2009 marked the lowest total traffic deaths since 1974. The report attributes these improvements to enhanced traffic safety programs, aggressive enforcement, legislative mandates such as seat belt laws and graduated driver licensing, improved roadway engineering, and advancements in vehicle safety and emergency response. Despite overall declines, specific risk factors remained prominent. Speed was a contributing factor in 49% of fatal crashes, and unrestrained occupants accounted for 37% of deaths, with unrestrained individuals being 32 times more likely to die than restrained ones. Alcohol-impaired driving contributed to 2,019 crashes and 31 deaths, though this represented a 13% decrease in fatal crashes from the previous year. Teenage drivers, comprising 7% of licensed drivers, were involved in 22% of all crashes; however, the teen driver crash rate per licensed driver had decreased 44% between 2000 and 2008. Motorcycle crashes decreased by 22%, yet motorcyclists accounted for 12% of all traffic deaths, with only 54% wearing helmets. Pedestrian and bicyclist crashes also saw reductions, with pedestrians being 8 times and bicyclists 1.6 times more likely to die in crashes compared to other occupants. The report concludes that while significant progress has been made, traffic safety must remain a priority. Key concerns include the high prevalence of speeding in fatal crashes, the increase in deaths involving unrestrained occupants, and the disproportionate risk faced by rural drivers, whose crashes were 4.4 times more likely to be fatal than urban crashes. The document emphasizes that the personal and socioeconomic costs of crashes remain high, with an estimated $1.64 billion in statewide economic losses, and reaffirms the state’s goal of zero fatalities.

Key finding

Speed was a contributing factor in 49% of fatal crashes in Utah during 2009, while the overall number of traffic deaths decreased to 244, the lowest total since 1974.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• demographic disparities
• fatality injury trends
• comparative international
• vru crash typology

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence