SALT LAKE CITY — The number of people who died on Utah roads fell again in 2023 after a large spike over the past three years. But an alarming rise in road rage cases also emerged that Utah transportation and safety leaders say they want to eliminate in 2024.
Last year, 279 people died on Utah roads, nearly a 13% decrease from the previous year, according to preliminary data released by the Utah Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety on Tuesday. The number of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles driven also dropped from 0.93 to 0.80, the lowest since 2019.
Utah Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson said the data included several other welcomed year-to-year declines, including a 22% drop in deaths tied to people not wearing seat belts, a 10% decline in speed-related deaths and a 6% decrease in impaired-related deaths, as well as drops in motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian deaths.
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The number of children ages 0-9 who died in crashes dropped from 12 in 2022 to four in 2023, but the number of fatalities in children age 10 and older rose slightly from 32 to 38. It was about the only major increase last year.
The overall decrease in fatalities, Anderson says, is more than just a statistic.
“These are lives and lives that we are affecting anytime we can make a difference,” he said.
Utah’s roadway fatalities were on a downward trajectory before an uptick in 2020. Roadway fatalities reached 332 in 2021, which was, at the time, the first time that more than 300 people were killed on Utah roads since 2003. There was a slight 4% decrease in road fatalities in 2022 before an even larger drop last year.
Tackling road rage
While aggressive-related fatalities also fell, from 28 in 2022 to 23 in 2023, Anderson said police continue to see a “sharp increase” in aggressive driving behaviors that put other drivers and other roadway users at risk. This includes a rising number of cases involving weapons and intentional crashes.
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“The issue with road rage is serious and it affects everyone on the road. It can lead to dangerous situations, crashes and increased stress when driving,” he said. “That type of aggression is not tolerated or allowed here in the state of Utah.”
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson speaks as the Utah Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety hold a press conference launching a new anti-road rage campaign in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. (Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
To that end, UDOT and Department of Public Safety officials launched a new public service campaign that focuses solely on road rage after similar PSAs targeted other unsafe behaviors like speeding and impaired driving in recent years.
The new Blink of an Eye campaign, which will be promoted through various broadcast forms, encourages drivers to remain calm and patient on the roadways, while also highlighting the consequences of road rage behavior.
Kristen Hoschouer, UDOT’s safety outreach administrator, said the friends and family of Rodney Salm, a Salt Lake man who was killed when the vehicle he was driving was struck by another vehicle engaged in a reported road rage incident in Eagle Mountain last year, helped UDOT create the ad.
“This video illustrates some of the real-life ramifications that can happen when you engage in road rage behaviors,” Hoschouer said.
Officials note that mental health is often a key component in road rage cases. Depression, anxiety, fear and frustration are some of the emotions someone may feel when an incident — intentional or accidental — can spark anger and lead to road rage, said Amanda McNab, the quality improvement and training manager at the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
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The new campaign provides a handful of tips for drivers to consider when they begin to feel anger. These include:
Take deep breaths and remind yourself to stay patient. McNab said this can allow enough time for someone to think about the consequences of certain actions, while also helping them cool down.
Practice other relaxation techniques like tapping on a steering wheel or playing upbeat or calming music.
Limit distractions to stay focused on the road.
Avoid tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, cutting off drivers or other aggressive driving behaviors that can provoke other drivers.
Practice courtesy on the road and do not retaliate after an incident.
“We want to make sure that people on the roadways have the opportunity to release that in a positive way, utilizing some of the same coping skills that we suggest using when dealing with those same feelings and emotions outside of being in a car,” McNab said.
Road rage also figures to be one of the many topics handled during the upcoming legislative session. Utah lawmakers unveiled a proposal in November that calls for stiffer penalties for road rage cases. These include the possibility of license revocation.
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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Utah alleges a counterfeit airbag turned a routine crash into a fatal explosion that killed a teenage driver within minutes.
Alexia De La Rosa graduated from Hunter High School in May of 2025. On July 30, 2025, she was involved in a crash.
The lawsuit alleges that when the vehicle’s driver-side airbag deployed, it detonated and sent metal and plastic shrapnel into the cabin.
MORE | Crashes
A large, jagged piece of metal struck Alexia in the chest, and she died minutes later, according to the complaint.
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The lawsuit, filed by Morgan & Morgan in Utah’s Third Judicial District Court, was brought on behalf of Tessie De La Rosa, as personal representative of the estate of her 17-year-old daughter.
The defendants are AutoSavvy Holdings Inc., AutoSavvy Dealerships LLC, and AutoSavvy Management Company LLC.
Morgan & Morgan alleges that the Hyundai Sonata had previously been declared a total loss after a 2023 crash and issued a salvage title. The suit claims AutoSavvy later purchased the vehicle and had it repaired — during which counterfeit, non-compliant, and defective airbag components were allegedly installed — before reselling it to the De La Rosa family.
The complaint further alleges that AutoSavvy knew or should have known the vehicle contained counterfeit and nonfunctional airbag components when it was sold.
“This is the third wrongful death lawsuit we have filed involving alleged counterfeit airbags that we believe turned survivable crashes into fatal incidents,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan said in a statement. “No life should be cut short because a corporation puts profits above safety.”
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Attorney Andrew Parker Felix, who is leading the case, said the firm is committed to uncovering how allegedly illegal airbag inflators enter the stream of commerce and are installed in vehicles sold to consumers.
“To make this perfectly clear, these are not supposed to be in the United States at all,” Felix said. “They are not approved for use in any vehicle that’s being driven in the United States.”
“They don’t have approval from any governmental agency to be installed in vehicles that are driven within the United States and regulated here,” he added.
Morgan & Morgan says it is investigating at least three additional deaths involving other defendants and alleged counterfeit airbags.
KUTV 2News reached out to AutoSavvy multiple times by email and phone. We were told a member of the company’s legal team would be in touch, but as of publication we have not received a response.
Randall will be among several key visitors in attendance for a meeting on March 6
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah President Taylor Randall speaks on campus during an event on Feb. 7.
University of Utah President Taylor Randall is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump this week.
Randall is expected to be among several attendees at a White House roundtable meeting on Friday to discuss solutions for the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics with the president, a U. spokesperson said.
The meeting could be postponed, however, due to the war in Iran. As of Monday, “the odds of it happening this week are 50-50 at best,” according to Yahoo Sports.
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If the roundtable happens as scheduled, the guest list includes several current and former notable figures in sports, including NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, golf legend Tiger Woods and former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed in a social media post on X that he would be in attendance as well.
“Thank you [President Donald Trump] for inviting me to participate, and for your commitment to addressing challenges in college sports,” Cox said on X. “[Taylor Randall] is a great university leader who will work with us on solutions for this critical issue.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah President Taylor Randall speaks on campus on Feb. 7.
Earlier this year, Randall was called on by the federal House Committee on Education and Workforce to schedule a briefing to discuss the school’s planned private-equity partnership with Otro Capital, according to a report from Sportico.
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The Utes announced their proposal in December of last year, which is a first-of-its-kind agreement between a university’s athletic department and a private equity company.
Utah’s deal with Otro has yet to be finalized. In a Feb. 10 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune, Randall said the university is “still just working through all of the issues systematically.”
“We want to do this in the right way to set both of us up for future success,” he added.
The move is expected to infuse hundreds of millions of dollars into the U.’s athletic department to help sustain the financial future of the program with rising deficits across the industry.
“I don’t think any of us would prefer to be in this situation right now,” Randall said in a faculty senate meeting in January. “But it just is what we’re facing.”
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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — The 2025-2026 winter season isn’t quite over, but it’s no secret that it’s been a rough one when it comes to snow. Right now, statewide snowpack numbers are hovering around 60% of the median.
But you don’t have to know those numbers to understand what a strange winter it’s been.
“It’s kind of good,” said Carrie Stewart, who lives in Salt Lake City. “I mean, I like it because I like a milder climate. But I realize this summer is going to be hard.”
MORE | Snowpack
“I’m not sad I’m not shoveling,” said Sally Humphreys of Salt Lake City. “But it’s definitely worrying.”
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State water officials are also worried. The clock is ticking to bulk up those snowpack numbers.
“We’re running out of time to get the snowpack that we need,” said Jordan Clayton, supervisor of the Utah Snow Survey. “We have about 40 or so days until our typical snowpack peak.”
There is still some time to make up lost ground, but the odds aren’t great. Clayton estimates a 10% chance of reaching normal by the end of the season.
“Those are terrible odds,” he said.
In fact, the odds of having a record low snowpack are greater, sitting at 20%. It’s a grim reality that has officials looking toward the summer anxiously.
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“I would expect to see watering restrictions outdoors for a lot of places,” said Laura Haskell, Utah’s drought coordinator.
It’s unknown what the next few weeks will bring, but if Haskell had to guess, she doesn’t see state reservoirs filling up much from where they are now.
“In the spring when that runoff hits, we do get a noticeable peak in our reservoir storage,” Haskell said. “The water just starts coming in. But this year, we don’t anticipate getting that.”
Haskell says we have enough reservoir storage to likely make it through the summer, but there are other implications to worry about.
Our autumn season was pretty wet. That led to decent soil moisture levels, which can then lead to higher vegetation growth.
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“If we then have a snowpack that melts out really early, we’ll have a longer than normal summer, if you will, with forage growth that might dry out, and so that’s kind of a bad recipe for promoting fire hazard,” Clayton said.
Utahns have dealt with low snowpack levels in the past. Many Utahns are familiar with their lawn turning brown because of water restrictions.
“We’ll probably just let it go that nice, sandy, golden color that it gets in the summer in a dry climate,” said Dea Ann Kate, who lives in Cottonwood Heights.
As we wait to see what the next few weeks bring, people like Carrie Stewart are just reflecting on an unusual winter.
“It is worrying,” she said. “We need snow. We’ve only shoveled once this season, and that’s very unusual.”
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Water officials are now hoping for something else unusual: climbing out of the snowpack hole that’s been created.
“But there are no times going back where the snowpack totals for the state were close to where they are right now, and we ended up actually at a normal peak,” Clayton said. “So while it’s possible, it’s very unlikely.”
