This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There have been 22 fatalities on Utah roads in the first 15 days of what police deem the summer driving season.

Memorial Day began what the Utah Highway Patrol calls the "100 deadliest days" of the year because of the increased number of drivers ­— and fatal crashes.

In 2015, there was an average of one fatality per day during those 100 days, but UHP Col. Danny Fuhr held a Tuesday news conference to call attention to this year's growing death toll.

Fuhr has authorized an "aggressive" response from UHP troopers to aggressive drivers. Tuesday, UHP unveiled the use of unmarked vehicles and motorcycles to kick off a blitz targeting those who are a danger to themselves and others.

The biggest factor in the recent fatal crashes is speed, followed by not wearing seat belts and distracted driving, such as looking at a cell phone while behind the wheel. Fuhr called the combination a "recipe for destruction."

Fuhr said that Monday as he was driving to work, he encountered a woman driving 104 mph on Interstate 15 in Davis County. The speed limit in the area is 70 mph.

The woman, he said, was tailgating a motorcycle and crossed into the HOV lane despite being her car's only occupant. She had slowed behind traffic but sped up again to 102 mph once she had a clear path.

Fuhr pulled the woman over, the third person in a month he has stopped for topping 100 mph on the road, and asked why she was going so fast.

"She said, 'Was I speeding?' " Fuhr said, adding: "People just don't care."

He said the woman told him she had an appointment and then needed to get home to tend a child.

"If you wreck [at 104 mph], you're never getting home to that child," Fuhr noted.

The fastest speed UHP has seen so far this summer is 110 mph, Fuhr said, but not wearing protective gear such as a seat belt or helmet is another way people on the road increase their risk of injury.

Fuhr referenced a recent fatal crash where the young driver was ejected. Had he been wearing a seat belt, Fuhr said, he likely would have survived. Further, the young man had received a warning the week before for failing to buckle up.

Fuhr said that as an officer, he hates to see the phone go off and know someone else has died.

"Everybody is at risk," Fuhr said, noting that when one driver makes a mistake, it often affects innocent people.

He encouraged citizens who see aggressive drivers to report them so UHP and other agencies can help minimize their negative effect.

mnoble@sltrib.com

Twitter: @mnoblenews