Jan 13 2010
How to Increase Driving Reaction Time to Avoid Injury
In the past two months, 10 troopers have been hit on Utah’s roads, said UHP Col. Danny Fuhr, and eight patrol vehicles have been totaled. The financial cost of the crashes and the strain they put on the agency’s limited manpower are staggering, Fuhr said. But those aren’t the primary reasons the agency is asking drivers to slow down and move over.
Fuhr said the outcome of a crash where police, firefighters and other emergency responders are hit by someone driving at freeway speeds is almost inevitable. “You will kill them,” said Fuhr, who stood Tuesday with almost a dozen troopers who have been hit while on patrol — some of them more than once.
“Sadly, we have a wall of officers that have proved that very point with their lives,” the colonel added. Ten of the 129 Utah officers killed in the line of duty died as a result of injuries suffered when their patrol vehicles were struck by inattentive motorists, according to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial.
Fuhr said drivers should take the following steps when they encounter emergency vehicles on the side of the road:
- Slow down immediately when they see emergency vehicles ahead with their lights activated.
- Move over at least one lane, and if that is not possible, move over as far as possible.
- Look for hazards or other warning signs of danger ahead.
- Focus on driving and avoid distractions like talking on the phone or texting.
“These four things will help drivers increase their reaction times,” Fuhr said.
Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Terry Woodward was investigating a crash last month on I-215 near 5200 South when he “heard the sound that every trooper hates to hear.” “I heard tires sliding on the pavement,” Woodward said Tuesday. “It was kind of that ‘Oh, crap’ feeling.” Woodward, who was injured by another, said he saw a car sliding sideways toward his patrol car. He tried to jump out of the way, but the car hit the back of the patrol car, which was pushed sideways and struck Woodward.
He remembers calling for help on his radio and seeing emergency crews arrive at the scene. “Then things went fuzzy from there,” said Woodward, who suffered a broken left leg, left ankle and right foot and had to be hospitalized in intensive care for internal bleeding in his pelvis. The crash that injured Woodward remains under investigation by the Taylorsville and Unified police departments. It marked the fourth time in his UHP career that Woodward has been hit while on duty.
“I’ve jumped over many barriers many times,” said Woodward, who still cannot put weight on his broken left leg and ankle. “I just wasn’t able to get out of the way this time.”
