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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol said the number of citations for excessive speeding is dropping.
Officials credit a 2022 state law with helping rein in that problem, which they said became worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UHP Maj. Jeff Nigbur called the law "a good tool" to deal with drivers who travel at high speeds. The law increased fines for going 100 mph, while making speeds of 105 mph or higher reckless driving, which is a class B misdemeanor.
"We've all been out there on the road," Nigbur said. "When we get our doors basically blown off by another car going really, really, really fast. And this law has just been useful for us to kind of get that point across and reduce it."
Cracking down on speeding
It's been a tough time on Utah roads this summer.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day – the period known as the "100 Deadliest Days" – 101 people died in crashes, said UHP Lt. Cameron Roden.
"We had some really, extremely deadly weeks," Roden said.
Speeding is one of the biggest contributors to those crashes, Roden said. On that front, the decline in excessive speeding is welcome news.
From 2022 to 2023, according to UHP statistics, the number of citations for speeders going 100-105 mph dropped by nearly 29%.
The number of citations issued to those going 105 mph or faster dropped by 20% during the same time frame, according to the data.
Both categories are on track to decline even further in 2024.
"I think the law is having a positive effect," Nigbur said.
'Utter shock'
But excessive speeding is still happening in Utah. Just this week, UHP troopers stopped a man in Juab County who they said was traveling more than 140 miles an hour.
"It's just utter shock, pretty much, that somebody would think that's OK," Nigbur said.
Still, any improvement is welcome. Roden said cutting down on speeding makes everyone safer.
"It's something that we don't want to become commonplace," he said. "It's something that's 100% within our control, and it's probably one of the best ways to help us reduce crashes."
Jani Iwamoto, a former state senator who sponsored the 2022 law, said she sought to focus on "the real risks" that come with driving so quickly – and the lives that are forever changed when speeding leads to deadly crashes.
"My hope from this legislation was for awareness and to save lives," Iwamoto said. "And also to think of our officers, who are often traumatized as well from having to put their lives on the line and to witness the aftermath of the results of excessive speeding."
