Be careful out there--a UF.net PSA

Miscellaneous
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I was driving to Salt Lake yesterday afternoon for the SUU game at a speed of 80 MPH, the limit just north of Nephi. A woman in a newer midsize Audi tailgated me dangerously, so I got out of her way. She passed me going probably close to 90 miles an hour and proceeded to tailgate the car in front of us–probably about one car length behind that other car, which did not have room to get out of her way. I slowed down and got to her right and far behind her because I didn’t want to be near the accident she was risking, which at that speed would have been horrific. Incredibly dangerous.

Here’s an article that tells how dangerous the freeways are right now. Let’s all be careful out there!

More people have died on Utah roads so far this summer than last year’s, preliminary figures show.

Why it matters: The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends marks the “100 deadliest days” for Utah drivers, and state officials say these deaths are preventable.

  • Speed, distracted driving and impairment have played significant roles in some of the crashes.

By the numbers: 184 people have been killed on Utah roads between Jan. 1 and Aug. 28.

  • 95 of those fatalities have happened since Memorial Day weekend, up 17% from the same time last year, according to data released Thursday by the state transportation and public safety departments.
  • 81 people died last year between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.
  • Nearly three times more pedestrians have been killed so far this summer than last (13 vs. 4).

What they’re saying: “That’s almost one a day,” said Kristen Hoschouer, UDOT zero fatalities program manager.

Between the lines: Men made up 73% of the fatalities, while women accounted for 23%.

  • Men are more likely than women to display unsafe driving conduct, like speeding on the freeway, tailgating and making rude gestures or honking at a driver, per the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
  • UDOT launched a campaignin June targeting male drivers by asking women to rate the “ick factor” of aggressive behaviors like flipping someone off.

Flashback: The summer of 2015 holds the record for fatalities in the past decade, with 111 deaths.

What’s next: As Labor Day nears, state officials are making a plea to drive safely and be cautious.

Axios: Utah sees a 17% jump in summer traffic fatalities

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Shorter: Quit driving like a dick.

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Correct. And watch out for idiots who are driving that way.

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To go along with the PSA. This one may get a bit more publicity than most motor vehicle v cyclists. I saw the headline and my first though was “oh my hell, people!” It went downhill from there with reading of the story.

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As one who was accused regularly of having a lead foot (I did) hate to say all it took was seeing someone pass me, blow a tire, lose control and crash. It was shocking. Luckily in this new cell phone era I was able to call emergency services to get aid. All four occupants lived, but the broken arms and legs were gruesome. About an hour and a half later I resumed my trip, but wow.

Maintain your vehicle and be safe out there.

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Yesterday, I watched as someone drove 65-70 mph slowly in the far left lane. The person immediately behind them was clearly agitated, passed them on the right moved back into the far left hand lane, slammed on their brakes to get the drivers attention and then proceeded to try an educate the slower driver through pointing for them to get over into another lane.

I get that we all get irritated by other drivers, but maybe this person wasnt aware that the far left lane is for faster traffic (newer driver, foreign driver, etc) or maybe they weren’t aware they were driving slow.

There’s just no need to play traffic cop, just mind your own business. Are you that angry that doing a simple lane change is that inconvienent?

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