As the New Year’s holiday approaches, the Utah Highway Patrol is warning drivers to be prepared on the roads. It will be targeting impaired drivers.
“Our main message is that state troopers will have zero tolerance for impaired driving,” said Maj. Chamberlin Neff with UHP. “Our troopers would much rather be out helping stranded motorists than knocking on the door of a loved one to tell them that their loved one has been hit and killed by a drunk driver.”
As of Wednesday, UHP reports 264 deadly crashes in Utah this year; 67 of those involved alcohol or drugs.
Neff said DUI crashes are 100% preventable. He said UHP hears the same story for nearly every DUI arrest: The driver did not plan for a sober driver ahead of time.
According to Neff, the average blood alcohol content of DUI drivers is 0.14. That’s nearly three times the legal limit in Utah.
UHP told KSL that for the last two weeks of December through Jan. 1, 41 law enforcement agencies will work more than 300 extra shifts to find and stop impaired drivers on Utah roads.
Neff said one of the hardest responsibilities that comes with his and other troopers’ jobs is telling someone their loved one has died because of an impaired driver.
“One message that I even hate more than that is ultimately providing that message to someone who is either arrested for DUI or even laying in a hospital bed because they themselves have been involved in a DUI crash, is they have just hit and killed somebody because they have failed, again, to plan in advance,” he said.
Data from UHP:
2025 preliminary stats (CY 2025, as of Dec. 10, 2025)
- Total fatal crashes: 238
- Total fatalities: 250
- Alcohol-related crashes: 633
- Alcohol-related fatalities: 24
- Drug-related fatalities: 58
- Total drug and alcohol-related fatalities: 67
2024 annual stats:
- Total fatal crashes: 251
- Total fatalities: 277
- Alcohol-related crashes: 826
- Alcohol-related fatalities: 56
- Drug-related fatalities: 109
- Total drug and alcohol-related fatalities: 136