We're just wrapping up the first month of 2025, which means a lot of places have been releasing their year-end reports from 2024. Among these is the Utah Department of Transportation, which just released its 2024 year-end traffic fatality numbers in January 2025.
Among the key bullet points in the press release about the 2024 data is that, "Motorcycle fatalities reached a 15-year high of 53." It then goes on to state that "This marks an increase compared to previous years, with a concentration of deaths during the summer months (June through August). Most incidents were single-vehicle crashes involving single riders, often attributed to speed, lack of protective gear, or loss of control."
This data prompted state legislators on the Utah House Transportation Committee to draft legislation that takes aim at curtailing behaviors that it credits with contributing to those increased numbers. On the face of it, that seems like an admirable goal. Surely, the most deaths in 15 years is a bad thing, right?
