This highway is set to see a radical transformation. Keeping the roads safe for road users and reducing the number of road traffic accidents requires both robust legislation and road safety policies, as well as well-maintained roads for road users to drive on without obstructions. Keeping roads up to scratch requires extensive funding and planning, and redesigning roads entirely requires this even more so. However, sometimes major changes to roads are necessary to ensure long-term safety objectives by authorities.
Ensuring a comprehensive plan to keep road users safe
Ensuring the safety of all road users is a comprehensive task, requiring collaboration from stakeholders as well as encouraging personal responsibility among drivers. This year alone, states have been coming down hard on drivers who continue to break the laws of the road, thereby endangering the lives of others. With drivers continuing to behave unjustly, perpetuating illegal driving activities such as speeding, reckless, and distracted driving, local authorities have had to tighten penalties associated with breaking these laws.
Increased penalties for breaking the laws of the road generally mean increases to fines for drivers. However, some locations are now adding additional penalties on top of increased fines for road safety violations, particularly for more severe unlawful behaviours such as excessive speeding. These additional penalties include consequences such as the risk of jail time if convicted and points against your driver’s license.
However, on top of passing strict legislation to deter drivers from breaking the laws of the road, authorities and city planners also have a responsibility to design and maintain roads that encourage safe driving practices. Roads need to be able to accommodate the number of drivers located in a certain area, have clear and widespread signage implemented, and other safety measures and interventions for drivers, particularly in low-light and bad weather conditions.
New highway design for drivers in this state
If you hail from Utah, the Utah Department of Transportation has some major updates for you. Starting in August of this year, and expected to continue until the end of 2025, the US-6 from Diamond Fork Road to the US-89 intersection is receiving road design updates.
“Crews are installing concrete median barriers to improve safety and prevent head-on collisions. Additionally, we are improving lighting along the corridor for enhanced visibility and making drainage improvements to keep water off the roadway,” describes the Utah Department of Transportation on their website.
While construction is underway, this five-mile stretch will be restricted to one lane in each direction until the project is completed. These lane restrictions will remain in place even when crew members are not actively constructing. Active construction working hours are set between 7:00 and 19:00 from Monday to Friday; however, this schedule is subject to change. Drivers using this route should anticipate delays.
Other changes coming to these highways
While Utah authorities are updating their highways in order to continue to encourage safe driving practices, other states are implementing speed changes along their relevant highways and interstates in order to encourage the same behaviors, but particularly to discourage speeding.
Generally, when it comes to speed changes, authorities lower speed limits. However, sometimes authorities need to increase speed limits in order to ensure road safety. This is usually done when it is identified that the vast majority of drivers are driving significantly over the speed limit, and increasing it would ensure more cohesive driving practices. This is the case in Indiana, where, as of July 1 of this year, Indiana drivers saw the speed limit on Interstate 465 raised by 10mph, from 55mph to 65mph in hopes of improving traffic flow and reducing incidents of excessive speeding
