It was fitting that the last day of January would be a slick disaster along northern Utah roadways.
Before 4 p.m. the Utah Highway Patrol had responded to more than 250 accidents in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties.
"At one point we had officers clear off an accident and say 'next,' " Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Kramer said.
While no fatalities were reported, the day of wreckage was fitting because it ended what might have been deadliest January in Utah roadway history.
January 2000 is on track to record the most fatalities for a January since the Utah Highway Safety Office started keeping monthly records in 1987.
Last month the Deseret News reported 29 roadway fatalities and Craig Allred, director of the Utah Highway Safety Office, said more January deaths could be reported. Police agencies have 30 days to report to the the state.
Moreover, accident victims who are left in critical condition in January accidents sometimes die later. Those deaths are tallied back to the original accident date, Allred said.
Regardless, January's 29 fatalities supersede the 27 roadway deaths in January 1998 and the 19 deaths in January 1999. The January average for traffic fatalities is 17.
Still, Allred maintains last month was not the deadliest January in Utah driving history.
"Probably in some year like 1958 we had more fatalities than we did this year," Allred said.
Seat belts didn't come into fashion until 1966, windshields weren't made from safety glass and dash boards were metal, he said.
Furthermore, Allred said, communications and medical care were drastically inferior to 21st century technology. It was an era without cell phones, citizens band radio or emergency medical technicians, he said.
"If you had an accident halfway to Wendover, someone would have to drive back and get a trooper who would then have to drive all the way back to the accident," Allred said. "Older troopers have told me stories about accidents that were three hours old before anyone got to them."
So while the first month of the 21st century brought the most recorded January fatalities, Allred said the record for Utah history is probably secure back in time before the days of medical helicopters and anti-lock brakes.