By Brittany Jensen

We all slow down and look, even when the sight is something we wish we hadn't seen.

Car accidents, particularly those seen while traveling down interstates, are not easily forgotten. Some are so horrific we wonder whether anyone could've survived it.

In 2003-2005, the latest years for which data is available, Utah and Salt Lake Counties' drivers saw almost 11,000 crashes on I-15. Of those, the majority had no injuries but 38 were fatal.

The Utah Department of Transportation is committed to a zero-fatality pledge. According to the Zero Fatalities Web site, "The loss of just one life is too many."

Five major causes of traffic-related deaths are listed: drowsy driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, impaired driving and not buckling up.

However, there may be little correlation between the amount of traffic and the number of accidents that occurs.

The Center Street exit of Provo had one of the lowest volumes of traffic in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, but it had almost the same number of traffic accidents as the highest volume interchange at 7200 South in Salt Lake County.

The increase in traffic in the two counties is certain, however, and UDOT has had to take the necessary steps to alleviate the congestion many Utahans have been feeling lately.

The West American Fork/Main Street interchange has seen the highest increase in traffic in the last few years - a 13 percent increase. It's also one of the interchanges slated to be first to be updated.

"UDOT wants to make that so it's a single-point interchange," said Rod Despain from the planning department in American Fork. "They're proposing to construct that very quickly."

The population in both counties has increased about 3 percent in the last few years, but American Fork is showing a slow down. Despain said the city usually averages about 200 new residential dwellings a year.

"This last month we only had four building permits for four new dwellings," Despain said. "Four a month doesn't make 200 a year."

The increase in traffic at the American Fork Main Street exit is mostly westward to Lehi and Saratoga Springs, Despain said.

I-15 is also undergoing a widening change from American Fork to Spanish Fork.

"They [UDOT] currently have in works right now a widening project of I-15," said Adam Cowie from the planning and economic development department of Lindon. "They have evaluated all the corridors, and nearly every off-ramp is scheduled to be reconfigured."

Cowie said UDOT decides the changes based on the wait for traffic signals, traffic congestion and population projections.

"2030 is their target date they're looking at," Cowie said. "So they're estimating population and then the traffic, and they widen to accommodate an anticipated traffic."

The widening of I-15 plans decided after the last few months of public input will be available to review this summer.