Man incarcerated for fatal reckless driving crash warns others not to repeat his mistakes
May 23, 2024
Highway fatalities trending down as Zero Fatalities preps drivers for the 100 Deadliest Days
The “100 Deadliest Days” is the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when road fatalities tend to increase. Warmer weather and ideal road conditions lead to greater complacency behind the wheel, and although Utah road fatalities are currently trending down, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS) are urging Utahns to stay safe this summer by driving calm, buckled, sober, alert, and focused.
“As the weather warms up, we encourage everyone to commit to making an improvement in their driving behaviors,” says Kristen Hoscoucher, UDOT Safety Outreach Administrator. “This could be buckling up, no matter how long or short the drive is; putting down distractions; or making a conscious effort to obey the speed limit.”
To help reinforce this safety message, Chelsie Laycock, mother of incarcerated Cody Laycock, shared what happened when her son caused a fatal crash on November 6, 2021 at a press conference.
Cody Laycock was 23 when he and his cousin were leaving a family gathering. Cody, who had significant experience racing cars on enclosed tracks, wanted to show his cousin how well his Audi TTRS could handle. While taking a full throttle turn on Main Street and State Street in American Fork, he started to drift, overcorrected and lost control. His car veered into oncoming traffic and hit a vehicle with three passengers head on. Two of those passengers were killed, and the third experiences life long injuries.
“What I did was wrong,” says Cody. “How I chose to drive that night was stupid. I take accountability for what I did and I always will. That’ll stay with me for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget that night.”
Cody is currently serving time at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah. He hopes others will understand the repercussions and life altering changes that come with making poor decisions behind the wheel.
Colonel Michael Rapich reinforced that driving is a privilege, not a right. “You are obligated to follow the laws and make smart decisions when getting behind the wheel. Do it for yourself, for your family and friends, and for everyone else on the road.”