If you have spent an extended amount of time in Utah, you have probably heard or experienced for yourself the infamous Utah Drivers. As a resident of Utah, I have heard this more and more for the past several years, especially from out-of-staters. I personally felt like I had not experienced this same level of bad driving. But I had heard the comment too often, so I decided to look into this claim and see if the evidence backed up accusations.
What Are the Facts?
Accidents and Citations
Since 2020, QuoteWizard has been reviewing insurance claims to determine who the best and worst states are according to driving. In 2022, they “analyzed over 10 million insurance quotes,” with the highest number of driving incidents indicating the worst drivers.
In 2020, Utah ranked 22nd in worst drivers, and then in 2021, Utah ranked sixth. It was in 2022 that Utah finally ranked number one, with “first in speeding, second in citations, fifth in accidents, and eighth in DUIs”. Citations could include “texting while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and failure to signal”. In 2023, QuoteWizard instead started ranking by city, where Salt Lake City was moved down to 9th place, where ranked 17th in accidents, 25th in DUis, 11th in speeding, and 13th in citations.
I then had to turn to LendingTree, as they were the only website which had the current findings for 2024 driving status. In 2024, Utah in the top 25 states for worst drivers, but not in the top 5.
Speeding
While Utah is no longer number one in worst drivers, we have not moved to being good drivers. According to an article by KSL News Radio, Sgt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol said that the worst thing that he sees Utah drivers do is speed. He states “if you increase the speed of a car by just five miles an hour, the damage and injuries in a crash could go from minor to substantial”.
The I-15, Utah’s main freeway, is 70mph in the urban locations, and then up to 80 in the rural parts of Utah. IIHS Says that since the speed limit increased to 80 resulted in “higher travel speeds and more vehicles exceeding the new limit”. One of the main claims made with changing the speed limit to 80 is to reduce the variation in speeds, “which is the actual cause of increased crash risk”. This is because it reduces the “passing maneuvers and lane changes”. After this change, Utah found that drivers were still not driving at similar speeds. It seems that Utah drivers have a flagrant disregard for the speed limit, no matter what the limit is posted.
Aggressive Driving
But, not only are Utah drivers bad at following the rules of the road, they have been ranked the “ third most confrontational” drivers in America. According to an article by Forbes, Utah drivers reported that 49.5% had been cut off on purpose, 42.5% had their car blocked from merging or changing lane, 54% received a rude or offensive gestures, 61.5% had been honked at with frustration, 64.5% had been tailgated, and 31.5% had been yelled at or insulted by another driver.
They also took note of what vehicle exhibited the most road rage and aggression. Truck drivers showed the most road rage at 33%, SUVs at 23%, Sports cars at 20%, Sedans at 19%, and Minivans at 7%. This evidence shows that it is not just a fault in our driving instruction or disregard for the law. Drivers are going out of their way to display their irritation or agitate other drivers.
Are Utah Drivers Actually the Worst?
It’s hard to argue with the evidence. There are drivers in Utah who are driving unsafely and recklessly. Though we are no longer ranked number one, we are nowhere near being the best. In an article by DeseretNews, a spokesman from UDOT said that the most concerning part of the bad driving in our state, is “How many of our most vulnerable road users’ lives were lost”. This includes bike riders, motorcyclists, or pedestrians.
It should every citizen’s responsbitility to be the good and gracious driver on the road. Fox13 states that “human behavior contributes to 94-percent of all crashes…bad choices we all make behind the wheel”. The Zero Fatalities gave five behaviors to keep you safe on the roads.
Zero Fatalities stated that “Our lies are costing lives”. We justify our bad driving habits with small lies. The best way to improve Utah’s driving status is to check our own driving and be honest with our own habits. A seatbelt is always important. A text is never okay. The speed limit is safe. You are in control of your actions. As you are driving, avoid getting aggressive and report any unsafe driver you see on the road. Check out this article for more information about road rage and aggressive driving.
Flickinger Boulton Robson Weeks
If you, or a loved one, have been hurt due to an aggressive driver or road rage experience, call our office at (801)-500-4000. You can have a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.
