- Two wrong-way drivers caused chaos on I-15 in Salt Lake City Sunday night.
- One head-on crash occurred; both drivers were arrested for impairment.
- Utah Highway Patrol emphasizes prevention efforts amid rising wrong-way incidents.
SALT LAKE CITY — A frightening scene unfolded Sunday night on Interstate 15 just north of downtown Salt Lake City, as two separate wrong-way drivers entered the freeway within minutes of each other, causing one head-on crash and prompting serious concerns from law enforcement.
The first incident occurred near mile marker 312, as the vehicle approached 2300 North.
Witness video captured the moment a vehicle, traveling northbound in the southbound HOV lane, collided head-on with an unsuspecting driver.
"It's very scary to show you," said Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol. "Drivers traveling with that vehicle coming right at them had little reaction time."
According to Roden, roughly 20 minutes later, responding troopers encountered a second wrong-way driver on the same stretch of freeway.
"Luckily, they were able to get that second vehicle stopped without any issues before it crashed," Lt. Roden said. "Two wrong-way drivers back-to-back in the exact same area."
Investigators are confident the first driver entered I-15 at 400 South and think the second driver may have done the same. The stretch between 400 South and the accident point is about four miles.
"Both of these drivers were impaired drivers, both of them were arrested," Roden said.
Roden also pointed to the efforts of UHP's task force to prevent wrong-way incidents and said they're seeing more citations issued for wrong-way driving but fewer crashes and fatalities.
"Hopefully that shows some of the things we're doing are working," Roden said. "The enforcement we're doing, the technology we're using to detect these vehicles, but also the messaging for people, helping them make proper choices up front with a sober ride planned."
So far in 2025, Utah has seen seven wrong-way driving incidents, resulting in two fatalities.
With the "100 Deadliest Days" of summer underway — a period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when traffic fatalities historically spike — troopers are urging drivers to make safe choices.
"These are situations that are 100 percent preventable and don't need to happen," Roden said.
