Road Accidents Group 1

Ivan, Faisal, Chris

English 1010
August 5, 2015
Road Fatalities And What We Can Do To Prevent Them
According to AccuWeather, an eighteen-month-old baby was admitted to the critical care
unit after surviving a car accident. The incident occurred on a Friday night on March 2014,
when a fisherman discovered the car wreckage inside the Spanish Fork River. The mother of the
child, who was also the driver, died in the accident (MacMath par.1). Fox13now reported that
Utah highways had 256 deaths in 2014, which was higher than that of the previous year. In
addition, 72 of the deaths, which were 28 percent of the total, happened due to the victim's lack
of use or misuse of safety precautions (Green par. 2).
Road accidents are frequent phenomena on most highways, which result in the death and injury
of many people. Utah highway is one of the most affected roads, where police respond to above
100 cases. Some of the road accidents occur either due to bad weather, but officials also say
some of the fatal incidents happen on state roads during the day, and under good weather
conditions (Green par. 13). According to Mims and Erin, A UHP trooper was injured while
controlling a traffic jam. During the incident, a motorist hit the polices car on the drivers side
injuring the lady.
Some of the safety precautions involve using safety belts while driving and reading the
signposts. In 2014, bad weather and neglect of road safety precautions were the main cause of
increased accidents in Utah. In March, a woman died after a truck hit her. The driver could not
stop the vehicle due to ice on the road. The 21-year-old woman was in an accident involving her
vehicle, which she managed to escape before being hit by the oncoming truck (Green par. 11).

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Furthermore, reports also show that neglect of road safety security is also another factor
contributing to the escalating number of traffic accidents in Utah. Officials from the Utah
Transport Department delivered the accident reports to the Legislature on Capitol Hill,
indicating the significance of the problem (Green par. 2). Before 2014, there were fewer
accidents on the roads.. The authorities indicated that the increase in the number of deaths in
2014, was directly tied to the wounded either not utilizing or misusing safety restraints. For
instance, the lady who died after a truck hit her stepped out of the vehicle to inspect it while at a
dangerous bend. The total number of deaths rose from 220 to 256, which is a significant amount
(Green par. 2). The state decided to involve the lawmakers by delivering data at Capitol Hill to
show the seriousness of the situation. Nearly 50 percent of the vehicle accidents on Utah roads
are a consequence of people not wearing their safety belts. It is a catastrophe that so many of
those fatalities could have been avoided with the appropriate use of safety mechanism (Green
par. 6).
Therefore, it is apparent that accidents lead to physical injuries and death. These include
cuts, bruises, fractures, and loss of limbs. Accidents also affect people mentally because of the
trauma they cause. Socially, people lose family members, and it leads to the family breakdown.
Furthermore, some accidents lead to stigmatization from the society due to physical or
psychological injuries. Finally, car accidents lead to extra financial expenses both to the victim
and to the government. Medical care expenses lead to increased cost and loss of productive
members of the society (Brkic).
Although weather and road signs cause accidents, primary reasons that cause fatalities
on roads are no seatbelt, alcohol, drug impairment and aggressive driving. According to a
survey in 2014 (Zero Fatalities Fatality Type graph), 72 of 256 deaths on roadways happened

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due to not wearing a seatbelt (28%), 70 of 256 deaths happened due to alcohol and drug
impaired (27%) and 68 of 256 deaths happened due to aggressive driving (26%).
Comparing surveys done in 2013 and 2014, the most common contributing factor to
roadway fatalities was a failure to buckle up. Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT)
officials said more than 500,000 people living in Utah are still not buckling up when they travel
in vehicles (Edwards and Nunez par. 10). As you know, unbuckled passengers can become a
weapon and increase the risk of damaging or killing others in the car by 40%.
According to Utah Highway Patrol, In November 25th, 2014 2 p.m, the Defriez family
was involved in a rollover crash on the way to their grandmothers house last year on the day
before Thanksgiving. All six family members were wearing seat belts and survived the crash.
Their 19-year-old daughter, who was driving, is now serving an LDS mission in Mexico, but the
parents will be present to share their story (Baird par. 62). UDOT officials said seat belts can
reduce the risk of injury or death by approximately 50 percent (Edwards and Nunez par. 10).
According to surveys in 2014 and in 2013 (Zero Fatalities Fatality Type graph), the
number of fatalities from alcohol-related Driving Under the Influence (DUIs) dramatically
increased from 2013 to 2014 from 28 to 70, so those 70 deaths still represent 27 percent of all
crash fatalities in the state. Alcohol and drugs damage a persons ability to focus, to understand
some things and slows reaction time to the roadway circumstance. Besides, prescription drugs
as well as over the counter medicines and lack of sleep can impair the ability to drive safely as
well. We can recognize impaired drivers that drive unreasonably fast, slow, or inconsistently.
We have seen road rage and aggressive driving on our way. While driving, we can
recognize the drivers who speed up, ride your bumper, and pass on the right without signaling.
Aggressive driving means driving a vehicle in a way that imperils or threatens people or

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property. Two-thirds of nationwide traffic fatalities involve behaviors commonly associated with
aggressive driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
In 2013, Utah crash statistics show that aggressive driving and speeding caused 50 fatalities,
284 serious injuries and 6,984 crashes. The number of fatalities from aggressive driving
increased from 2013 to 2014 from 50 to 68. Most behaviors connected with aggressive driving
are illegal, such as: running red lights and stop signs, speeding, not yielding, tailgating,
weaving, and so on.
Even though accident fatalities in Utah in 2014 increased compared to 2013,
government implements various attempts to reduce fatalities due to accident in 2015 and 2014.
First, before May 12th, 2015, police could issue only a $45 ticket for not wearing a seatbelt when
an officer stopped a vehicle for another reason. However, as of May 12th, 2015, the new law
allows the issuing of only a warning on the first offense. On the second offense, the $45 fine can
be waived if the offender completes an online, 30-minute safety course. Enforcing the law
shows how many people that did not buckle up drive on roadways.
Second, In February 2014, Utah lawmaker proposed to put breathalyzer machines in all
bars and clubs in Utah to show drinkers the limit and prevent them from driving drunk and
having accidents (Romboy par. 1). Furthermore, Mary Lou Emerson, the director of the Utah
Substance Abuse Advisory Council (Wutke par. 3), said ignition Interlocks and law
enforcements will predict to reduce Utahs DUI fatalities.
Third, In 2015, the Utah Highway Patrol and Unified Police Department launched a
crackdown on aggressive drivers after an increase in crashes along I-15 from Davis to Utah
counties. The authorities said We are trying to improve the conditions on our highways and

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surface streets through this enforcement action (Winslow par. 3); Such a policy will help
reduce the number of casualties from traffic accidents.
One possible long-term solution to road fatalities is message warnings to the community.
If people were to receive warnings to weather, then the person driving would know what to
expect throughout the day. The driver would be aware of the conditions to come, and be ready
for the change in road conditions. South Korea already uses this system, but only for weather
updates. South Koreas car accidents have been reduced after implementing the messages to the
citizens. Road fatalities were reduced by 15%, and 25.8 billions dollars were reduced in
damages(National Emergency management Agency page 2). The government sends out these
messages, but not everyone receives them. If the U.S., or the state of Utah, sent out these
messages they could warn against weather, drunk driving, seatbelt use, and many more
warnings. The DMV would collect peoples information when they are applying for an ID, or
drivers license. The person will see the option in the application, and have the choice of putting
it on. When you get the message, it will show up on your phone as a message, and then you can
close it out. This system wouldnt be a big change for anyone, but will still impact the driving
community in a positive way.
A short-term solution would be to install cameras on the roads that give tickets to people
that are disobeying the law, and if the camera sees a drunk driver, then the police will be called to
pull over that person. Many places have cameras installed in the streets, but they do not call the
police if they see a drunk driver, so the cameras have to be able to notify the police where the car
is going, and the police will be able to intercept the car before any harm is done. If people keep
getting tickets for not wearing seatbelts, then they will eventually learn that they need to have it
on so they dont get a ticket.

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People know what they are supposed to do when they get in the car, but they are too
lazy, or forget sometimes. Advertisement campaigns have been launched many times before, and
have shown people the consequences of their actions. The solutions stated are some ways to help
drivers remember the things they are supposed to do when they get into the car, and will
significantly decrease the number of road fatalities, and accidents.

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Works Cited
Baird, Dwayne. "NewsRoom | DPS Highway Safety." DPS Highway Safety. N.p., 24
Nov. 2014. Web. 5 Aug. 2015. <http://highwaysafety.utah.gov/news-room/>.
Brkic, Karla. "An overview of traffic sign detection methods." Department of Electronics,
Microelectronics, Computer and Intelligent Systems Faculty of Electrical Engineering
and Computing Unska 3 (2010): 10000.
<http://msdnaa.fer.hr/_download/repository/BrkicQualifyingExam.pdf>.
Edwards, Ashton, and Kiersten Nunez. "Buckle Up or Expect a Ticket with New Seat
Belt Law Starting Today." Fox13now.com. N.p., 12 May 2015. Web. 29 Jul 2015.
<http://fox13now.com/2015/05/07/buckle-up-or-expect-a-ticket-with-new-seat-belt-lawstarting-next-week/>.
Green, Mark. Officials: Fatalities increased on Utah highways in 2014, many could have been
prevented by seat belts. Fox13now.com. KSTU-FOX 13, 23 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 July
2015.
<http://fox13now.com/2015/01/23/officials-fatalities-increased-on-utah-highways-in-20
14-many-could-have-been-prevented-by-seat-belt/>.
MacMath, Jillian. Baby in Critical Condition after Tragic Car Wreck in Utah River.
AccuWeather.com. AccuWeather, 11 March 2015. Web. 23 July 2015.
<http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/baby-in-critical-condition-aft/43613851
>.
National Emergency Management Agency. Safe Korea. N.p., 2014. Web.
<http://www.mpss.go.kr/images/02-0_NDMS.pdf>.

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Romboy, Dennis. "Utah Lawmaker Proposes to Put Breathalyzer Machines in Bars,

Clubs | Deseret News." DeseretNews.com. N.p., 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 29 Jul 2015.
<http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865596432/Utah-lawmaker-proposes-to-putbreathalyzer-machines-in-bars-clubs.html?pg=all>.
"Utah | Statistics | Zero Fatalities." Zero Fatalities - Utah. N.p., 2014. Web. 29 Jul 2015.
<http://ut.zerofatalities.com/statistics_utah.php>.
Winslow, Ben. "UHP Launches Crackdown on Aggressive Drivers." Fox13now.com.
N.p., 4 June 2015. Web. 29 Jul 2015. <http://fox13now.com/2015/06/04/uhp-launchescrackdown-on-aggressive-drivers/>.
Wutke, Shelly. "Ignition Interlocks And Increased Law Enforcement Will Reduce Utah's
DUI Fatalities." Guardian Interlock. N.p., 29 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Jul 2015.
<http://guardianinterlock.com/blog/utah-growing-dui-problem-ignition-interlock/>.