Park City police issue unusual run of distracted-driving stops

Park City police logged an unusual run of distracted-driving stops in early June, including a May 28 stop at 3:03 p.m. at Park Avenue and Thaynes Canyon Drive after an officer saw a driver swiping on a screen to change music. The driver received a warning, but the cluster of stops pointed to a broader safety issue on streets where tourists, commuters, cyclists and pedestrians all share limited space.

The pattern matters because distracted driving often goes unnoticed until officers actively look for it. In Park City, that means routine driving habits like checking a phone, scrolling through music, or reaching for navigation can quickly turn into a danger on roads that already carry dense traffic and complicated geometry. The police action suggested either a deliberate enforcement push or a spike in violations, and either way it put a familiar local hazard back in view.

Utah law makes the behavior clear. Manually using a phone while driving is illegal, and that includes texting, emailing, changing music and web browsing. The Utah Highway Safety Office says a first offense can bring a fine of up to $100. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidance casts an even wider net, defining distracted driving as any activity that pulls attention from the road, including talking or texting, eating and drinking, talking to people in the vehicle, or fiddling with the stereo or navigation system.

The stakes are not abstract. NHTSA estimated 3,208 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes in 2024 and 315,167 were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers. A Utah Highway Safety Office report cited 27,514 distracted-driving crashes in the state over five years, with 10,024 injury crashes and 83 deaths in 74 fatal crashes. The report also said drivers ages 15-19 were involved in 29% of distracted-driving crashes, with most crashes occurring on Fridays and fatal distracted-driving crashes most likely in June and March.

Park City has tried to frame street safety as a combination of education, engineering and enforcement through its Neighborhoods First Streets Program. The city’s traffic-safety planning also emphasizes that safety affects residents, bicycles, pedestrians and drivers alike. The recent stops fit that approach: police intervened before a distraction became a collision, reinforcing that the smallest glance at a screen can still create a public hazard on Park City roads.