UDOT: statewide fatalities falling overall but motorcycle deaths are rising; commission asks for better tracking

UDOT operations staff told the commission the department is making progress toward the goal of zero fatalities but that some vulnerable‑user categories require special focus.

"We're currently sitting at about 227 fatalities for the year, which is down from last year at this time (240)," Troy Peterson said while presenting the agency's 'zero fatalities' indicators. He noted the department uses a multi‑year averaging approach to set annual target reductions and that the current fatality rate metric sits near 0.7.

Peterson drew attention to vulnerable‑user fatalities: 104 of the year‑to‑date fatalities are in that category, including 66 motorcyclists, 30 pedestrians and 8 bicyclists. "We can't always say whether lane filtering or rider behavior caused a specific crash," he told commissioners, "but we're definitely working with our partners in DPS and the Highway Safety Office to look for trends and clues."

Commissioners asked whether legislative changes (helmet rules for young riders, lane‑filtering practices) or greater motorcycle exposure could explain the trend. UDOT staff said tracking requires validated crash reports and that the department's data scientists work with the highway safety office to produce statistically significant trend analyses before making legislative or enforcement recommendations.

UDOT also noted there are about 43,000 total crashes year‑to‑date across all severity levels and emphasized an ongoing focus on vulnerable users; the department reiterated five safe driving habits (seat belt, focused driving, calm/alert, sober driving) as part of outreach.