• UHP gets improved Seat Belt Convincer
• Zero Fatalities Summer Driving Tips
• Utah to hold the 2008 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit
• Every 15 Minutes
• Past events
• Upcoming Events
• Testimonial

• Zero Fatalities
  Safety Summit
  October 6-7, 2008

Weber State University students spent the last year creating a new convincer for the Utah Highway Patrol. The new convincer features two separate carriages that collide head on and use a drive train to generate pull. The former seat belt convincer had one carriage with two seats that employed the gravity system.

While the new convincer action mimics previous versions of a similar teaching tool, it is the first to feature separate carriages that can collide head-on. The new tool will be taken to events around the state and illustrates the importance of wearing a seat belt.

The two separate single-occupancy carriages sit atop a 26-foot flatbed trailer. The carriages are steel frame carriages, have drive trains that allow them to collide with each other at a speed of 5 mph. Typically, wrecks happen at 30-35 mph.

For more information, or if you would like the convincer at an event, contact Trooper Todd Johnson at (801) 957-8514.

Over the past five years there have been a total of 536 fatal crashes between June 24 and October 1. If we continue on the same trend, that averages out to be more than one fatal crash on our roads every day for about the next 100 days. Throughout the rest of the year, Utah averages 0.7 fatal crashes per day. The 100 deadliest days of the year represent a 52 percent increase in the number of fatal crashes compared to the rest of the year.

The best way to survive a crash is to prevent it from happening in the first place. During your summer trips the Zero Fatalities program encourages Utah drivers to avoid the following five deadly behaviors: don't drive drowsy, distracted, aggressive, or impaired and always buckle up.

• If everyone wore seatbelts, traffic fatalities would be reduced by half. Make sure you and your passengers are properly restrained in a seat belt, car seat or booster seat.
• Aggressive driving is a factor in one in four fatal crashes. Avoid the following behaviors associated with aggressive driving: speeding, running red lights, failure to yield, tailgating, and weaving.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.
• Distracted driving is a factor in one in four crashes nationally. Focus on driving, have a passenger answer the cell phone, change CDs, etc. Also, before you hit the road adjust mirrors, air conditioning, etc.

The 2008 Safety Summit Planning Committee is now accepting registrations for Utah's 2008 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit to be held October 6-7 at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park Hotel. Last year's inaugural Safety Summit was a success and we're looking forward to another exciting conference. Traffic safety advocates, engineers, law enforcement personnel, educators and counselors, city and county government officials are all invited to find new ways to improve traffic safety in Utah. Registration is open at: http://www.zerofatalities.com/summit.

Charles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) will be featured as the Summit's keynote speaker along with 21 different breakout sessions covering topics ranging from teen driving to minority communities to traffic prosecutions to motorcycle and pedestrian safety. In addition, the Summit will offer a special Child Passenger Safety Track that will provide the state's Child Passenger Safety Technicians with the latest trends and information.

The Zero Fatalities Safety Summit Awards will be brought back this year. We encourage you to nominate an individual or organization that has contributed to transportation safety in Utah, for the 2008 Zero Fatalities Awards. Award recipients will be recognized for their roles in helping to reduce death and injury on our state's roadways. Recipients will also be honored at a special awards luncheon on the closing day of the Safety Summit. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Web site at: http://www.zerofatalities.com/summit/nominations. The deadline for nominations is July 31, 2008.

Congratulations to the 2007 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit Award Recipients:
• Zero Fatalities Leadership Award, presented to Janet Brooks
• Special Achievement in Traffic Safety Award, presented to Utah Safety Council
• Outstanding Traffic Safety Program Award, presented to Bear River Health Department "Safe Communities"
• Outstanding Traffic Safety Program Award, presented to Troy Tait, Med One Capital
• Executive Director's Excellence in Transportation Safety Award, presented to Rob Clayton
• Commissioner's Excellence in Traffic Safety Award, presented to West Valley City Police Department
• Volunteer of the Year Award, presented to Sarah Pettit
• Zero Fatalities Poster Contest Winner, presented to Jiwon Chang, Beaver High School

We are excited for this year's conference; it will be another great year. See you in October!

Over 1,000 Carbon High School students came streaming from the school early this spring as witnesses to a horrific scene of crashed cars and students playing dead.

Every 15 minutes in the United States someone dies from an alcohol related collision, and based on this fact the program, "Every 15 minutes," was developed. The mock crash program started in Pennsylvania years ago, and this past spring Carbon County implemented it at their high school.

"The mock crash really hit us hard, cause you could actually see what happened. It makes you realize what alcohol really can do to you," Lindsay Beck, Carbon High School student. "Afterwards we all said 'we would always buckle up.'"

Even though the high school students knew the scene was a set up many of the students broke down in tears at the thought of losing close friends. The crash investigation took place with the school students watching as law enforcement extricated their classmates from the vehicles. The next day a mock funeral was held for the 'dead teens,' where parents, other crash victims, a UHP Trooper, the "DUI" driver, parent of the DUI driver, the school principal, and the health department staff spoke to the students.

Preparation for the mock crash inspired a community-wide collaboration with law enforcement, a local radio station, a funeral home, the city hospital, local police (Price City Police) and Utah Highway Patrol, Price City Fire Dept, ambulance service, local photographer, student photographers, Life Flight, and the College of Eastern Utah.

The students were given microphones so the rest the students could hear what was going on. Before the mock crash the grim reaper took students from their classrooms "Every 15 Minutes," after law enforcement read their obituaries in their classrooms the grim reaper hung them on their lockers.

The program was implemented when Four Corners Behavior Health teamed with Carbon High School and the Southeastern Utah District Health Department to promote Zero Fatalities and the dangers of alcohol related crashes. The groups began meeting in December to prepare for the event.

"Most teenagers would think it is not that big of a deal, but when you think about really losing people you love it makes you think," said Beck. "You understand the reality of what one small simple choice can mean. It affects more than just the person that decided to drink and drive."

Teens and parents were instructed to write down their thoughts and feelings about the event. Georgina Nowak, with the local health department, says it helps the students and parents to process the message if they talk about it. Nowak suggests that high schools put on the mock crash a maximum of every six years, otherwise it lessens the impact.

For more information on "Ever 15 Minutes" program go to: www.every15minutes.com

KSL Family Fair June 14, 2008 For the third year in a row, Zero Fatalities participated in the KSL Family Fair and the Utah Foster Care Foundation's Chalk Art Festival, at Salt Lake City's outdoor shopping center, the Gateway. In the mall's Olympic Plaza singers and dancers performed throughout the day, and families visited booths to participate in games promoting safety. Meanwhile, down the mall's main street, artists were decorating the sidewalk with chalk art. Families strolled the malls' pathways looking on at the variety of art styles taking shape on the ground.

Click It or Ticket Kick Off, May 20, 2008 Click It Or Ticket kicked off May 20 with a press event held at Lagoon. The kickoff included saturation patrols and featured opportunities for the media to ride with an officer. More than 60 law enforcement agencies participated in enforcement mobilization, and nighttime enforcement was conducted in three of the larger jurisdictions. The kickoff coincided with Lagoon's high school month, offering a unique opportunity to reach high school-aged teens. In addition to seat belt usage, "Don't Drive Stupid" messages were placed throughout the park.

Work Zone Safety Press Conference, April 18, 2008 UDOT asked the public/media for a few seconds of their time to slow down in work zones. With a work zone on I-80 as a backdrop, UDOT's Deputy Director Carlos Braceras talked about the dangers of speeding in work zones at the press conference. By driving with caution in these areas Utah can begin to meet its goal of Zero Fatalities.

Western Stampede July 3-5 , 2008 The Western Stampede in West Jordan includes park activities, free movies, fireworks, games, marketplace, entertainment, Fourth of July Parade, PRCA Rodeo, and more. The Zero Fatalities Crashed Car will be on location to remind families to drive safe during their summer vacations and always take time to prepare for long drives. Get plenty of sleep and always buckle up.

Zero Fatalities Bee Safety Night, August 8, 2008 Zero Fatalities will sponsor a safety night with the Bees. Children will be given traffic safety tips as well as Bees/Zero Fatalities T-shirts, duffle bags, and balls. Booster seats and partnering agency giveaways will also be passed around. After the game participants will watch a dazzling fireworks display.

Zero Fatalities at the Desert Thunder Raceway, August 20-23, 2008 Zero Fatalities will bring the Zero Fatalities crashed car and racecar to the Desert Thunder Raceway in Carbon County. Zero Fatalities is also coordinating with the Southeastern Utah District Health Department to promote safe driving behaviors to students going back to school at College of Eastern Utah and Carbon High School during this time.

Zero Fatalities Safety Summit, October 6-7, 2008 Building upon the successful inaugural Safety Summit, the 2008 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit will be held at the Marriott University Park Hotel at Research Park.
Visit http://www.zerofatalities.com/summit to register.

After a week of boating, waterskiing and wakeboarding in Lake Powell, Travis and his sister Desiree Bastian headed for home the afternoon of July 22, 2006. The Bastian family stopped to gas up their vehicles before the long journey back to Bountiful. Once the gas tank of their car was full, Travis and Desiree told their parents they'd see them soon. Then about 30 miles out from Lake Powell, with their parents less than a mile behind, eyewitnesses said they saw Travis's car drift across the centerline into an oncoming motor home. Desiree was killed instantly and Travis passed away on the life flight to the nearest hospital.

"Because you never know what is going to happen, you have to be alert at all times," said Kayelynn Bastian, mother of Travis and Desiree. Even though Bastian does not know the reason her son's car crash, she encourages others to give themselves the best chance of survival on the roads. "Follow safe driving behaviors - avoid using your cell phone, be aware, get enough sleep before driving, and follow the other behaviors listed in the Zero Fatalities program."

"Most importantly, however," Bastian said, is to always leave your loved ones with 'I love you.'"