SALT LAKE CITY – With the Labor Day holiday looming, Utah has been ranked as the second worst state in the nation for driver safety.
That’s the finding of a nationwide study of non-fatal accidents, driving under the influence citations and speeding-related offenses in each state, conducted by Hard Rock Bet, an online sportsbook and casino network based in Florida.
“Utah’s position in the rankings places it alongside other high-risk states,” according to a Hard Rock spokesperson, “where both serious and everyday driving behaviors contribute to road danger.”
Metrics in the Hard Rock study were the percentage of Utah drivers who have received speeding tickets (11.9 percent), the rate of accidents per 1,000 drivers (23.8), the rate of DUIs per 1,000 drivers (2.7) and the rate of speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers (9.4).
The study results come as Utah drivers are moving into the holiday weekend that climaxes what state officials call the “100 deadliest days” between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Officials of the Utah Department of Transportation have already released grim preliminary data on summer driving across the Beehive State.
As of Sept. 3, there have already been 95 fatalities on Utah roads dating back to Memorial Day weekend, according to Robert Miles, the UDOT traffic and safety director.
A record 49 deaths were reported in July alone from 42 separate traffic mishaps. This summer’s deaths include 24 motorcycle fatalities, along with 13 pedestrians and three bicyclists.
While many of those traffic fatalities are still under investigation, UDOT officials say that at least 37 have been the result of speeding. Other causes include 11 deaths that resulted from drivers not wearing seat belts, seven resulting from alcohol or drug use and three due to distracted driving.
The accident rate for Utah drivers was 23.8, among the highest in the U.S., according to the Hard Rock study. With a rate of accident rate of 24.8, only Vermont exceeded Utah’s rate.
The state with the safest drivers in the Hard Rock study was Florida, where only 6.9 percent of drivers have received speeding tickets, the rate of accidents per 1,000 drivers is 11.9, the rate of DUIs per 1,000 drivers is 0.4 and the rate of speeding-related incidents per 1,000 drivers is 1.2.
UDOT officials are hoping that drivers will buckle up, put their phones away and slow down during the upcoming holiday weekend.