Utah Highway Patrol urges caution after near-miss on I-215

SALT LAKE CITY — A close call Thursday morning had the Utah Highway Patrol reminding drivers to be cautious and to move over for emergency vehicles.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden said a trooper’s cruiser got crushed on I-215 at Redwood Road Thursday morning.

Roden said the trooper was outside of his car, helping people who had been involved in a different crash when his cruiser was hit.

The UHP said another car lost control and smashed into the rear of the trooper’s car. The driver of the car that rear-ended the trooper was not injured.

“The law does require as you’re approaching any emergency or service vehicle that you do need to slow down for them to keep them safe and move over lanes if possible,” Roden said.

And, Roden said, even if the roads look dry, there can still be slick spots where you could lose control.

If your car does start losing traction, Roden recommended steering into it.

“So if your back end starts to move to the right we’re going to steer to the right and try to stay off the brake as much as possible because that could make that worse,” Roden said. “We’re not telling you not to brake but it could make the skid even worse, so steer into it.”

Related: Uber in-app recording arrives in Salt Lake City and five other cities