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KEARNS — Briggs Dorian-Lawrence was 19. CJ Russell was 19. Lilly Warren was 17. Gage Manning was 17. Patrick Lawrence was 14. Eli Mitchell was 13.
From not wearing a seat belt, to driving too fast, to being the victim of someone else's careless driving — there is a wide range of contributing factors in how teens are killed on Utah roads.
Of the 32 teens killed on Utah roads in 2022, the parents of the six of them gathered with state officials Thursday to call out to teens and parents in the state: Do what you can to protect and educate drivers and children about road safety.
"Utahns are known for being some of the nicest people in the world, but we also have an unfortunate reputation for not being so nice when we're behind the wheel," Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras said, emphasizing that teenagers learning to drive are watching the examples of other drivers, especially their parents.
"I want us all to be patient with one another, have a courteous attitude and be our best self when we step behind the wheel. This applies to everyone — not just for people who have teenage drivers," Braceras said.
Braceras referred to a study by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that found teens whose parents monitor their driving activities in supportive ways are half as likely to speed, 70% less likely to drink and drive, two times more likely to wear their seat belt and 30% less likely to talk on the phone while driving.
Holly Warren shared about her daughter Lilly's life prior to when the 17-year-old was hit in a crosswalk on Oct. 25, 2022. "She lived two lifetimes in her short years," the tearful mother said Thursday.
"It is impossible to believe that Briggs is not here today and that he will not be here tomorrow," Sarah Dorian said of her son, Briggs Dorian-Lawrence. The boy had been on his way to an appointment when his vehicle crossed the median on Jan. 5, 2022 and was hit head-on by a truck.
Utah Highway Patrol Col. Michael Rapich talked about laws that have helped to protect teen drivers, including Utah's Graduated Driver's License law. This limits what teens with driver's permits and new licenses can do, by restricting the types of passengers they can have in the car and requires 40 hours of driving experience before officially getting a license.
The tragedy that struck the Mitchell family when 13-year-old Eli was hit by a drunk driver on April 26, 2022 — the driver only stopped to get Eli's bike out from under his truck before driving on — prompted the family to get involved with additional legislation, looking to prevent the same fate from happening to anyone else.
After talking with West Jordan law enforcement, the Mitchell family was connected with Rapich, Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Utah chapter president Art Brown.
"We're trying to take this tragedy and turn it into goodness," Eli's father Jeremy Mitchell said. "We started there, trying to find where the holes were in the laws."
Rapich said families that have lost their teens have helped solidify distracted-driving laws, seat-belt laws and, in the Mitchell family's case, DUI laws.
Because of the laws, Rapich emphasized Utah Highway Patrol's necessity to make traffic stops to prevent fatalities from happening. "Everything we (at the Utah Highway Patrol) talk about and do is focused on keeping these tragedies from happening," he said.
Every year, Utah organization Zero Fatalities publishes a magazine memorializing the teen lives lost on Utah roads throughout the year. Zero Fatalities has a goal to educate everyone about driving and its dangers, hoping to prevent fatalities in years to come.
