Deadly Roads, Deadly Stretches Of Road In Utah
Listing the deadliest roads in Utah is easy: I-15, I-70, I-80, US Highway 6, and US Highway 89.
A simple Google search will root these roads out real quick. But what stretches of these roads are really the deadliest?
I-15 -- The high-speed/high volume stretches are by far the deadliest. While areas like the two passes in Central and Southern Utah get the most snow and can be challenging to navigate, the most deadly accidents come in that "Wasatch Front corridor" between Provo and Ogden. In 2022, 320 people died on Utah roads (we're getting close to that in 2023), and more than half of those came on that stretch of road.
I-80 -- This is a huge road that runs from coast-to-coast in America, but the area with the biggest problem in Utah is Parley's Canyon, which takes drivers from Salt Lake City up to Park City and eventually up into Wyoming. I-80 also has such "deadly" features as SLC's “spaghetti bowl,” dangerous winter road conditions, various animal migration areas and very high speed.
I-70 -- To quote Utahadvocates.com: "Due to its long stretches of nothingness and steep climbs up to mesmerizing canyon views, it’s no surprise that this highway has made it onto our list. All drivers should be prepared when traveling this route, especially for the 100 miles between Green River and Salina," where there are no services.
Highway 6 -- Another nationwide road, there is a 60-mile stretch of US-6 between Spanish Fork and Price has been called one of the deadliest roads in America. More than 200 people have died on this stretch. Though UDOT has done major improvements to try and mitigate the problem, locals are still concerned, as judging by this recent article on Fox13.com.
Highway 89 -- This familiar road goes from Flagstaff to the Canadian border, passing through the heart of Utah (it's State Street in man communities). The volume of traffic statewide on this road makes it a contender for deadliest. Cache County by the Logan River is the scariest, although the road does zip by several national Parks, including Zion.
6 Deadly Mistakes Utahns Need to Avoid on The Road
We're not learning from our mistakes. And that needs to change.
The St. George Police Department keeps seeing deadly mistakes that cost lives. As we head into the Christmas season, there are some things we should be mindful of.
Southern Utahns on average don't get into more accidents than any other regional location. But the frustrating thing, according to Tiffany Mitchell, the public information officer for the SGPD, is that we keep making the same mistakes again and again that leads to traffic accidents.
Mitchell listed the main traffic mistakes that lead to accidents recently on the Andy Griffin Show. Here they are:
- Right of way -- Failing to yield, quite often at a stoplight. Unfortunately, many motorcycle accidents involve cars turning in front of motorcyclists.
- Speed -- One-third of all crash fatalities involve excessive speed.
- Distracted driving -- Yep, phones are a big part of this, but it also includes passengers, food, radio and other distractions that pull our attention from the roadway.
- Drug/alcohol impairment -- Illegal drugs and drunkenness are quite illegal and the cause of many crashes, but also many prescription drugs have warnings and should not be taken when driving.
- Reckless/aggressive driving -- Young people and those in too big of a hurry may weave in and out of traffic, tailgate, take risks and run red lights, among other aggressive transgressions.
- Following too close -- Many people do this and then can't stop in time when there is a need. The rule is a two-second distance for every 35 miles per hour travelled.
Mitchell added that leaving early and taking our time would actually lessen the chance of your getting into an accident.
She also added that the above list is specific to drivers, but many of the same principles can be applied to electric bikes, scooters and other motorized vehicles.
St. George's Ugliest Sweater?
Dave Cordero, who works for the City of St. George entered and won the ugly sweater contest Monday night during St. George's Christmas celebration kickoff and tree lighting.
But is Dave's ugly sweater, which features a cartoon Dwight Schrute from "The Office" saying "Fact, Xmas is Here" really the ugliest sweater around?
I've seen some doozies in my day, and even owned a couple that were, well, aesthetically displeasing.
So what makes a sweater "ugly" anyway, and who in the heck started this tradition?
Ugly Sweater 101
According to anythinklibraries.org, "an ugly Christmas sweater by definition is any sweater with a Christmas theme that is considered in bad taste, tacky or gaudy. The more embellishments (or the better themed, depending on who you ask), the better. Reindeers? Santa? Christmas trees with blinking ornaments? A light up menorah? A Star Wars Christmas tree with Yoda? All these tacky little details point towards winning the prize for best ugly Christmas sweater at parties."
And with "Ugly Sweater Parties" totally the "in" thing to host nowadays, it would behoove us all to grab an ugly sweater as part of our Christmas party arsenal.
Ugly Sweater History
It seems Ugly Sweater contests have been going on for more than 40 years.
Christmas sweaters, ones designed specifically for the season, have been around since the 1950s, but making fun of them, at least in the form of a party/contest has been happening only in the last 20 years.
Again, anythink says, "Through the 90s, ugly sweaters disappeared for a while, replaced by other ugly fashion (hi, overalls, I miss you), but they would pop back up in the 2000s, when ironic fashion became a thing. Fueled by memes and their love of hilarious, social media worthy stories, millennials awesomely brought back ugly Christmas sweaters by doing something unexpected: they threw parties around them."
Ugly sweaters are so trendy and even have their own hashtag: #uglychristmassweater.
Here are a few from out there:
Wait, Utah Puts What In Their Cheese Balls?
If you've been active on social media in recent times, you've probably noticed that a lot of folks are getting pretty excited about cheese balls.
I'm not talking about the crispy cheese puffs you can buy at the store (trust me, there's a whole debate on whether they should be called cheese balls or cheese puffs).
No, I'm talking about the roughly ball-shaped globs of cheese food served at parties with crackers and (for some strange reason) seem to have slivered almonds stuck to the outside of them.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good cheese ball, especially if bacon is invited to the party.
But some of these recipes floating around Facebook, InstaGram and Pinterest are just, well, wrong.
Here's a sampling:
- Walnut-pomegranate cheese ball -- Apparently this just seasoned cream cheese with chopped walnuts, with those nasty little pomegranate seeds stuck to the outside of it.
- Pumpkin cheese ball -- Apparently this is a favorite in Utah. This doesn't actually have any pumpkin in it, but your supposed to mold it to look like a pumpkin. The ingredients include ranch seasoning and crushed Doritos, with a baby dill pickle as the "pumpkin's" stem.
- Chocolate chip cheese ball -- OK, we crossed the line from savory to sweet on this one. Better swerve it with animal crackers, not Ritz.
- Utah cricket cheese ball -- The author of this recipe swears the crickets are deep-fried and perfectly healthy, but that's a hard pass from me.
- Beer pretzel cheese ball -- Beer in the recipe and pretzels stuck to the outside. It would take a lot of cheese to get buzzed off of this one.
- Severed foot cheese ball -- Shaped to look like a severed foot (complete with black olives for toenails), who wouldn't want commemorate a severed limb and eat olive toenails. Am I right?
- Maple-garlic cheese ball -- Mom always told to "Don't knock it until you've tried it," but those two flavors just don't go together.
- Braunschweiger cheese ball -- Looks like a shot from a sci-fi/horror flick (see picture below), I just couldn't. Shouldn't. Wouldn't.
- McDonald's cheeseburger cheese ball -- Apparently this is a thing: Grind up a McDonald's cheeseburger (bun and all) and mix it with cream cheese. Some adventurous types have McDonald's fries poking out of the finished product.
I didn't include recipes or links to them because none of these creations should ever see the light of day.
Please!
Guilty! Southern Utah Opens Up About Guilty Pleasures
OK, OK, we're talking about food here, so get your mind out of the gutter.
I recently asked through social media some of the food people in Southern Utah secretly love that they'd just as soon everyone not know about. As per their requests, the names have been changed to protect the over-indulgent.
But as a show of good faith, I will go first.
- Pop Tarts -- Frozen, room temperature, toasted, whatever, I love 'em. They have no real nutritional value, won't fill you up and are probably made from cardboard or concrete. Doesn't matter, I eat them up when I can -- my wife is very anti-Pop Tart -- Andy in St. George
- Dipping pizza in ranch dressing -- I try not to do it in public, but when we order pizza at home, out comes the ranch. The creaminess, combined with the savory pepperoni and sauce ... so good. -- Jamie in Washington City
- Dipping french fries in a Wendy's Frosty -- I don't think there's anything wrong with this, but I've had people sneer at me when I do it. OK, maybe ice cream and potatoes don't go together, I don't know. -- Melanie in Santa Clara
- Peanuts in my Dr. Pepper -- I call it my morning protein shake. And by the time you finish the Dr. Pepper, the peanuts are all dissolved. It tastes kind of like a Snickers bar. -- Celeste in Cedar City
- Peanut butter and apple slices on bread -- It's just basically a PB & J with the apples acting as the J. -- Candy in St. George
- Melted cheese on my apple pie -- I get funny looks when I eat this, but you should try it. It is absolutely the bomb! -- Mark in St. George
- Sweet potato fries dipped in maple syrup or cinnamon/sugar -- It's like Thanksgiving yams, only with fries. So good. -- Gena in Hurricane
- Milk with Coke -- It's like a milkshake or a Coke Float, only so much easier and quicker. Make sure the milk is really cold -- Michelle in Mesquite
- Bacon with ice cream -- I love bacon so much, and it can go with anything. I'll put it on grilled cheese, peanut butter sandwich and even vanilla ice cream. Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it. -- Terry in Washington City
- Raw spinach in place of lettuce on everything -- I guess this isn't that weird, but I love raw spinach and if anything I eat calls for lettuce (burgers, salad, sandwiches, tacos) I'll put spinach instead. -- KG in St. George
As they say, to each his own. Or as my Dad always says -- woolen underwear (to itch his own).
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