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Former Utah Governor calls for drivers to slow down

This car was navigating a snowy road early Tuesday in Fort Payne, Ala. The wicked winter weather there is spreading across the Deep South.
Hal Yeager
/
AP
Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert warns public to drive safe on winter roads.

Former Utah Governor Gary Herbert and the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce have joined forces with the National Coalition for Open Roads (NCFOR) in an effort to encourage safer winter driving and a commitment towards road maintenance.

The state of Utah ranks 22nd in the national percentage of fatalities due to winter road accidents. Herbert said this positive ranking is a tribute to a few things, one of them being Utah’s hardworking snowplow drivers. However, NCFOR officials recently warned western states of the ongoing shortage of snowplow drivers, raising concerns for further winter road deaths. This shortage, on top of Utah’s rapid population growth, makes a focus on safe driving in dangerous conditions increasingly imperative.

In the NCFOR news release, Herbert addresses the public saying, “Drivers need to slow down. With more snow on the way, let’s be our best selves behind the wheel, especially during tricky road conditions.”

A long time lover of NPR and radio reporting, Clayre Scott joined UPR in August of 2021 as the producer of the weekly podcast UnDisciplined. She began reporting in 2022 and now enjoys telling stories through sound and getting weekly texts from her family after hearing her on the radio. Along with her work at UPR, Clayre is attending Utah State University to get her degree in Broadcast Journalism, with time on the side to study Political Science and Art History.