DPS NEWS

Utah’s New Law to Help Address Excessive Speeding

Beginning on May 4, 2022, a person driving at speeds of 105 miles per hour or greater can be charged with Reckless Driving, a Class B Misdemeanor. Additionally, any speed violation in excess of 100 miles per hour will result in a 150% enhanced fine.  

While the need for this change is unfortunate and frustrating to the majority of those who make a point to drive responsibility, it is absolutely meant to target the threat to safety created by those who choose not to. 

Since 2020, the Utah Highway Patrol has issued close to 12,000 citations to drivers who choose to drive at extreme speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. This is simply reckless and irresponsible driving behavior, and it puts everyone at risk. 

This behavior can be very deadly. Today we are fortunate to drive cars that are well built,  can easily increase and decrease speed, are extremely comfortable to drive, and are built with safety systems that have never been better. We travel on roads that are engineered to be efficient and keep you safe. However, at speeds of 100 MPH, all of the systems meant to keep you safe fail, and the results can be tragic.  

The odds of surviving a crash are horribly reduced at speeds over 100 miles per hour, while your odds of being in a crash increase significantly. And to be clear, these crashes are devastating, violent, and deadly. And our troopers see the results, way too often.  Especially when extreme speed is mixed with other reckless behaviors like driving impaired, distracted, or drowsy;  which is often the case. 

Please know this change to Utah Law is not an effort to issue more citations, exactly the opposite. That is why we are pleading, please talk to your friends and family about their driving behaviors and make sure they know the dangers and potential impact of speeding.