Evan Cobb, Daily Herald file photo

The Utah Highway Patrol conducted almost 5,000 checks on drivers throughout the state over the Fourth of July weekend.

Data from 2022 shows all-around more dangerous habits from drivers than in 2021. Approximately 2,500 motorists were caught speeding, with 94 people driving over 100 miles per hour and 35 driving over 105 mph, according to a UHP tweet.

Data from 2021 shows almost 4,000 people were checked over the Fourth of July weekend last year. Of those, 2,000 were stopped for speeding, with 78 stopped for going over 100 mph.

There were five fatalities over this holiday weekend compared to only one fatality in 2021, according to the tweet.

“This year, we had a bad year when it came to fatalities over the weekend,” said UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden. “There were at least five fatalities throughout the state that we investigated or helped investigate. So far, the 100 deadliest days has been an improvement from where it was last year at this time, so we have to continue enforcement to make sure that we keep this information in front of the public at all times for them to make their own decisions on behaviors they need to make to stay safe.”

Courtesy Utah Highway Patrol

Roden said there isn’t a set reason for this year’s increase because numbers fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons.

“There’s going to be a lot of things that factor into it,” he added. “Manpower is going to be part of that. I know last year at that point in time we were low on manpower, so that is going to play a little bit of a factor on those stats. We have started to rebuild back in numbers so that may be why there was more productivity on that end.

“There’s also been a lot of focus put on a high number of fatalities over the last couple years adding an increase out there to try and make more stops to remove DUI drivers from the roads. There’s also increase in the population, so that may be a factor as well.”

To help those driving during holiday weekends, Roden urges the public to wear a seatbelt, eliminate distracted driving and don’t drive impaired.

The 2022 numbers showed 273 individuals were given citations for not wearing a seatbelt. In 2021, only 163 seatbelt citations were given.

This year, 80 individuals were arrested for driving under the influence. The numbers increased slightly as 71 people were arrested for DUI in 2021. Another tip for drivers is to watch the speed limit. There were 123 crashes throughout the state this weekend and 22 of them were in Utah County, according to Roden.

“We’ve had a lot of cars just this holiday weekend that were going really fast,” he said. “We were close to 100 citations that were over 100 mph, so people out there were going really fast, and it is an issue because these things cause fatalities.”

UHP refers to summertime, from Labor Day to Memorial Day, as the 100 deadliest days of the year, according to Roden.

“The summer months are the most deadly time of year,” he said. “We see an increase the most over the summer months. That’s ultimately why we focus on the deadliest days and that starts with Memorial Day and goes through Labor Day, so the Fourth of July falls right smack in the middle of that.”

In preparation for any big holiday, UHP departments make sure they have enough manpower out on the roadways. Areas typically with higher volumes of traffic will have more UHP troopers surveying the area.