In an effort to reduce the motor vehicle accident rate in Sardine Canyon, Utah, the Utah Dept. Of Transportation will begin to install concrete barriers between mile maker 7.5 and 9.5. According to KSL News, the work is expected to be completed by June 2009. Every year, there are at least 100 car accidents in the Sardine Canyon area. A small percentage of these are fatal car accidents. Just last month, three people died when a driver that had fallen asleep crossed over and ran head on into a Jeep Cherokee carrying two adults and three children. UDOT aims to reduce fatalities such as these in an area that some consider the most dangerous stretch of Sardine Canyon. “Crashing into a barrier and bouncing back out into a lane of traffic is a lot better than crossing over and hitting a semi truck or another vehicle,” said UDOT’s Vic Saunders.
Still, officials stress that while the barriers are designed to reduce the most injuring and deadly of the many car accidents that happen during the year, that they still rely on drivers to make safe driving choices. Along with barriers, I think they should consider speed signs in the more dangerous areas that tell motorists how fast they are going compared to the speed limit in the area. A mandatory lights-on policy could also help to make the highway safer.
Published by: Ron Kramer
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