Col. Dan Fuhr, the superintendent of the Utah Highway Patrol, has spoken out about issues he believes compromise the safety of the public.
For starters, he opposed raising the speed limit to 70 mph on some urban interstates, but only because of driver behavior.
Every driver knows there has been a buffer that allows drivers to exceed the speed limit on the interstate by 8-10 mph without being pulled over by police. He fears by raising the speed limit to 70, drivers will believe the actual limit is nearly 80.
“We saw that in Southern Utah when we raised the speed limit to 80,” says Fuhr. “When we pulled over drivers who were going 90, they complained. They said, 'But we're still under the buffer.' We know the greater the speed, the more dangerous it is. It’s basic physics. If you think you can now automatically travel 5 or 10 over the posted speed limit, then you are incorrect. The posted speed limit of 70 does not mean 75-80.”
Fuhr also opposed the new speed limit if it meant not changing the seat belt law. Failure to wear a seat belt is only a secondary violation, and that means police cannot stop drivers solely for not wearing seat belts; cops must have another reason to pull them over.
“If we’re going to raise the speed limit, we want the ability to pull over drivers for not wearing seat belts,” he says.
He cites statistics: In 60 percent of the fatal accidents the UHP handles (131 last year), the driver is not wearing a seat belt.
“Can you imagine how you’d feel if a loved one was ejected from a vehicle in a crash and the vehicle was not damaged — the passenger compartment is intact,” says Fuhr. “They would not have died."
Asked about the 16 percent rise in Utah traffic fatalities in 2014, Fuhr recites the top five factors in traffic deaths: speed, seat belts (18 percent of drivers don’t wear them), drunken driving, distractions (cellphones) and aggressive drivers.
“Every time there’s a fatal crash we ask ourselves what could we have done to prevent that,” says Fuhr.
Fuhr also worries about the safety of his troopers as well as the public. An average of 21 troopers or their vehicles annually are struck on the side of the road by passing cars. Many drivers seem unaware that they are legally required to slow down or move over when passing a cop at the side of the road. Drivers are also urged to move cars in minor accidents — fender benders — off the freeway at the nearest exit and to call dispatch from there.
“Some drivers worry they will ruin flat tires by continuing to drive, but by the time they realize they have a flat at freeway speeds the tire is already ruined,” says Fuhr.
The other issue of the day is distracting driving, which is often the result of texting. Last year the UHP made 1,000 contacts for distracted driving (texting included), resulting in 800 warnings and 300 citations.
"As you can see we spent a lot of time in traffic stops last year educating motorists that texting and driving is a violation of the law," he said. "We understand that operating a vehicle requires attention to the roadway and the many continuous decisions that must be made to arrive at a destination safely. Taking your attention, eyes off the roadways, especially at high rates of speed, can lead to deadly outcomes.”
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