UHP gives update after another wrong-way driver causes crash overnight

SOUTH SALT LAKE — The Utah Highway Patrol says seven people have lost their lives to wrong-way drivers since the beginning of this year. And the number of calls spotting wrong way drivers has also gone up 49% since this same time last year.

 

“The vast majority of the drivers that cause wrong-way fatal crashes are intoxicated, either on alcohol and/or drugs,” said Maj. Jeff Nigbur. “They’re significantly intoxicated.”

 

Nigbur says UHP and UDOT are creating a task force to try to identify any more patterns and to come up with solutions. But right now, they’re not seeing any.

A deadly weekend for crashes caused by wrong-way driver

Three people died in two separate crashes involving a wrong-way driver over the weekend.

Early Saturday, a crash between two cars killed both drivers when they hit each other head-on as one traveled the wrong way on 600 S. The driver who entered I-15 the wrong way was not wearing a seat belt.

The later Saturday, a 29-year-old West Valley man died in another wrong-way crash around 11 p.m. at 6860 South Mountain View Corridor.

Over forty wrong-way crashes since Jan. 1

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 43 wrong-way crashes as of the morning of March 14. This includes one on I-15 in North Salt Lake when a wrong-way driver struck a motorcycle and two other vehicles near 2600 S. back on Feb. 20.

Utah Highway Patrol reports there has been an “epidemic” of wrong-way drivers recently. 

KSL TV reports on how you can be alert for wrong-way drivers when you’re out and about. 

Utah law enforcement puzzled over recent ‘epidemic’ of wrong-way drivers

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