Record Low Number of Traffic Fatalities in 2009
On January 19, UDOT, the Utah Department of Public Safety and Zero Fatalities presented the fatal crash statistics for 2009 "The last time Utah had fewer than 245 fatalities was 35 years ago in 1974, and that low number was largely attributed to our nation's oil crisis and fuel rationing," said John Njord, UDOT executive director. "While this shows great progress, I will never feel comfortable saying we are happy that 245 people died on our roads. Even if we get to 100 fatalities or 50 fatalities or 5 fatalities, I just can't be satisfied until I can say that there were Zero Fatalities on Utah's roads."
Officials also unveiled a new three-minute instructional video teaching people how to drive in a panic situation in order to prevent overcorrecting and rollovers. Nearly half (44 percent) of fatalities in Utah involve rollovers and very little training exists teaching drivers how to prevent overcorrecting. Officials say too many times, people are distracted or drowsy, and panic when they realize they are out of their lane or on the shoulder. The knee-jerk reaction is to hit the brakes and yank the wheel in the correcting direction. This new instructional video is designed to teach people to stay calm, ease off the gas, then move slowly back into their lane. The instructional video can be downloaded at ut.ZeroFatalities.com.
To view the complete 2009 traffic fatalities report, visit www.ZeroFatalities.com.
2009 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit Award Recipients
The responsibility of reducing fatalities on Utah's roads does not rest on the shoulders of one organization; it takes everyone working together to add up to ZERO. Outstanding individuals and organizations were honored, at the Zero Fatalities Summit, for their efforts to saving lives on Utah's roads.
HIGH SCHOOL POSTER CONTEST
Presented to
CATHY LEVITRE
Volunteer of the Year Award - ANNA KAY WADDOUPS
Outstanding Traffic Safety Program Award - TRICOUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAFE COMMUNITY PROGRAM
Outstanding Traffic Safety Program Award - REGION TWO TRAFFIC ENGINEERING GROUP
Special Achievement in Traffic Safety Award - MAY ROMO
Executive Director's Excellence in Transportation Safety Award - LOWELL ELMER
Commissioner's Excellence in Traffic Safety Award Zero Fatalities Leadership Award - CEDAR CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
ZERO FATALITIES LEADERSHIP AWARD
Presented to
TERRY SMITH
In addition, the Summit offered a special Child Passenger Safety Track that provided the state's Child Passenger Safety Technicians with the latest trends and information. A CPS Award Dinner honored the following for their outstanding efforts in child passenger safety:
2009 Zero Fatalities CPS Track Award Winners
Child Passenger Safety Technician of the Year - ROXANNE BAUMAN
LAYTON FIRE DEPARTMENT
Child Passenger Safety Technician Rookie of the Year - CARRIE BENNETT
UTAH COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
Child Passenger Safety Advocate of the Year - MARILYN MORRIS
PRIMARY CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER
Child Passenger Safety Program of the Year - MCKAY-DEE HOSPITAL CAR SEAT PROGRAM
Texting While Driving; Texter sends a strong message.
"It is a mistake I cannot take back and I cannot change. I will live with it for the rest of my life," says Reggie Shaw in the video "10-85 Echo, Obvious Fatalitiy", produced by Zero Fatalities. Shaw was charged with negligent homicide earlier this year. He served 30 days in jail and was required to do 100 hours of community service. He was the last person in Utah to receive such a light sentence. Since his sentence Shaw has been instrumental in helping Utah pass the nation's toughest law to crack down on texting behind the wheel. Under Utah's law, someone caught texting and driving now faces up to three months in jail and up to a $750 fine, a misdemeanor. If they cause injury or death, the punishment can grow to a felony and up to a $10,000 fine and 15 years in prison.
Reggie is now finished with his required community service hours, but still travels across the state educating youth about the dangers of texting while driving. He has also worked with Zero Fatalities to share his story in a 15-minute video. The heartbreaking video, found at zerofatalities.com, shows how his choice to text and drive affected the lives and families of the two people he killed. So far, the video has been featured in national media such as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, NPR and several other national and local media outlets. It has been downloaded more than one million times from ZeroFatalities.com.
PCMC's New Program-Never Leave Your Child Alone
Between 1998 and 2007 nearly 360 children in the United States died as a result of being left alone in a car. In early June, Primary Children's kicked off its latest child safety campaign "Never Leave Your Child Alone" with a press conference and demonstration emphasizing the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.
The "Never Leave Your Child Alone" campaign emphasizes simple steps to prevent injury and death from hyperthermia and other safety dangers in and around vehicles.\:
- Never leave your child unattended in a vehicle
- Make a habit of checking your vehicle before leaving it
- Keep a stuffed animal or other reminder next to you in the car as a cue that your child is with you
- If you see a child left alone in a car, contact the police or call 911
For more information click here.
'Thirteen Stories We'd Rather Not Tell'
Families of Teen Crash Victims Share Their Loss
Motor vehicle crashes continue to kill more teens ages 15-19 in Utah than any other cause of death. In 2008, 29 teens were killed on Utah roads. During National Teen Driving Week, the Utah Department of Health, Zero Fatalities, and the Utah Teen Driving Safety Task Force held a press conference to release the stories of families who have lost a child or sibling in a motor vehicle crash in 2008. These stories were collected in a book called "Thirteen Stories We'd Rather Not Tell" the teens' families hope their stories will convince others to drive safely.
To read these stories go to dontdrivestupid.com
Don't Drive Stupid Campaign Wins Award
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) President's Award, one of the nation's highest traffic safety honors, was awarded to the Utah Teen Driving Task Force for its Don't Drive Stupid program for positively impacting highway traffic safety. UDOT executives accepted the award at the 2009 AASHTO Annual Meeting.
The Utah Teen Driving Task Force consists of UDOT, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Utah Department of Health, the Salt Lake Valley Health Department and several other state and county organizations across the state. Don't Drive Stupid is the teen component of Utah's Zero Fatalities program, which aims to reduce the top five behaviors that are killing people on Utah's roads: driving drowsy, distracted, aggressive, impaired and not buckling up.
"It has been rewarding to develop and implement this program with the help of our partners," said John Njord, UDOT executive director. "Our goal was to influence teens and their behaviors to drive consciously and safely and the program has worked tremendously. There has been a significant drop in teen fatalities in Utah since the introduction of the Don't Drive Stupid program."
Testimonial
After having enjoyed a weekend trip with friends, five of us girls left Bryce Canyon National Park--a place of blue skies and a refuge from the storms back home. We made a few stops along the way through central Utah, but the further we drove, the more aware we became of the storm systems surrounding us. In Fillmore we stopped for lunch just as it began to rain. On the road again, our vehicle was our safe haven from the heavy rain clouds outside.
While continuing to drive north toward SLC, our plans for safe return ended. The effects of the intense storm finally took control of our vehicle. The car started hydroplaning towards the canyon cliff to our right. The vehicle fishtailed, but Lauren (our driver) was able to regain control and slow down. We lost visibility through our windows even with the windshield wipers on full-speed and realized that the outcome of our drive might not be desirable. Many of our thoughts were simple, "Are our SEAT BELTS on?" - YES, they were all on. We encouraged each other to RELAX...take a deep breath to help ease our panic and death grip from the vehicle.
After a few short minutes of some relief, before we knew it, we were on a blindfolded roller coaster--spinning 180 degrees, crossing lanes of traffic on the highway and rolling 2.5 times into a ravine.
As we rolled, I heard crushing sounds and almost a deafening silence at the same time. It was hard to know how to react after such an event. All I remember was realizing we were all upside down and literally hanging from our seat belts. My waist and legs began to hurt due to the pressure against the seatbelt and my first instinct was to release the belt. Christy stopped me from doing so, to first assess our injuries before moving out of the car. Plus, at this point, none of us really knew where we had landed.
The car was completely totaled and it was a miracle we all survived with no broken bones at all, and only a few cuts here and there. Due to the severity of the accident, a few ambulances arrived taking all of us on stretchers in neck braces. Each of us received concussions and strained muscles. Jessica had a ripped tendon in her shoulder and other various issues. Some of the girls had more lasting effects due to the concussion. Yet, when the doctor at the ER in Nephi, assessed me last of all he said, "You must have been cushioned in the back middle."
The majority of questions centered around this one inquiry: "Were you all wearing your seat belts?" And when we would answer (thankfully) "YES!" we were so grateful to respond with that reply! A few weeks later, Jessica's family member was in a similar crash where one person was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle, causing much kidney damage. He eventually died from that crash. Again, we all reflected on the severity of how things could have been without wearing our seat belts. One quick decision to obey that law truly saved us from experiencing a real tragedy.
Abrasions from the seat belt across my lap were the only lasting pain I had due to this crash. These later became greatly sore and bruised, but I can honestly say that the pain associated with the seat belt was a welcome reminder of the saving power of God and of the blessing of wearing our seat belts.
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