Families grieve teens killed on Utah roads, urge safety

When you ask Rylee Sarle, 16, what she most admired about her big sister, Alexus, she doesn’t hesitate. She was the hardest-working person Rylee ever knew.

Her sister’s bliss was the hands-on joy she got fixing cars — she loved everything about cars. And when she got her motorcycle, the young mechanic thought it was “the coolest thing that ever happened,” Rylee Sarle said.

The other thing she will tell you is how responsible Alexus was. She was careful and smart and paid attention to everything all the time. Almost.

On Sept. 21, 2024, Alexus Sarle was northbound on Redwood Road on her motorcycle, but was distracted by an argument she was having on her cell phone with her boyfriend. She ran a red light and was hit by a motorist who didn’t see her. Paramedics restarted her heart, but she didn’t survive her injuries. She died the next day at age 18.

Rylee said the family learned she had chosen to donate her organs. So her heart, liver and lungs helped someone else.

Wendy Cowley said she and her husband Randy first met Jaxx, the girl who they would come to love, when she was being fostered by neighbors in Price, Utah. Jaxx had been orphaned and it was hard to find a foster home for teens, Cowley said.

They liked the child who was mad about animals — the Cowleys had lots of those — and she was over at their place a lot. When Jaxx said she was going to be moved to a new foster home, they decided to learn to be foster parents and managed to get a license within a month.

They eventually adopted her, giving her people she could call mom and dad and a last name that spoke of new beginnings and a loving future. But Jaxx died July 27, 2024, after she and a girlfriend got into a car with one of their acquaintances that was being driven by someone he knew. The driver, it turned out, was severely impaired. He was speeding and lost control. The acquaintance was killed instantly, while the driver and the girlfriend escaped.

Jaxx was trapped in a burning car and despite attempts to pull her out, she died, one month shy of her 17th birthday.

Their stories were shared at a press conference Wednesday. Jaxx Cowley and Alexus Sarle are two of 18 teens who died on Utah roads in 2024. That number has already been surpassed this year, with 21 teens killed on Utah roads, according to Utah Department of Transportation executive director Carlos Braceras.

Every year, the UDOT, Zero Fatalities and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services hold a press conference to feature the teens’ stories, some of which are also commemorated in a book. This year, that book has a bright purple cover and lettering that looks like it’s embroidered, the title “Forever Stitched in our Hearts.”

A book of remembrance

Inside are the names of those whose families wrote their stories: Besides Jaxx, who lived in Price, and Alexus, from Sandy, the others featured are Spencer Aiden Langston, 17, of Herriman; Riley E. Smith, 17, of Salem; Johnathan McQueen, 18, of Grantsville; Ezekiel Gordon, 17, of Lehi; Jadin Palmer, 19, of Thatcher, Arizona; and Crey Cornelius, 19, of Kanarraville.

The purpose is not just honoring young lives cut short, but reminding parents and teens that being on any road — as a driver, a pedestrian, a motorcyclist or a bicyclist — is a serious, pay-attention undertaking. And as the numbers shared by David Litvack, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, show, the conversations should be ongoing and frequent. The book is a staple in some Utah schools and driver education programs.

Litvack said the book has been an ongoing project since 2007 and 453 teens have been remembered on the pages, because they were killed on Utah roads. Each life, he said, represents more than the individual, but also grieving family and friends whose lives were also changed.

Col. Michael Rapich of the Utah Department of Public Safety said serious conversations about driving safety and parental expectations should be a priority because they can have “meaningful impact” on how teens drive.

Whether most parents are having those conversations isn’t known. But Stacy Allen of Zero Fatalities told Deseret News that while teens are by law supposed to put in 40 hours of drive time, 10 of them at night, with a parent or guardian in the car before they can get a driver license, a study found that about 20% of parents don’t take that time to help their kids learn rules and safe road habits.

How many teens died on Utah roads?

The booklet has statistics. In 2024, the collected Utah teen crash data showed 11 of the fatal crashes happened on the weekend, between Friday and Sunday, while seven were Monday to Thursday. Most were multiple-vehicle crashes, but eight involved a single vehicle.

Those killed included a bicyclist, two pedestrians, three vehicle passengers, seven drivers and five driving motorcycles. Two-thirds were male. Eight fatal crashes were on rural roads, the other 10 on urban roads.

And the list of contributing factors was long. Most common was failure to keep in the proper lane, followed by failure to yield right of way. Three of the crashes involved alcohol or drug use by someone and three each involved speeding and ignoring traffic signals. There were lots of other factors, including one that involved road rage.

Rapich also noted that 2025 has thus far brought a 33% increase in motorcycle fatalities involving teens, with eight to date.

Cowley said parents should let their kids know they’ll come get them, any time, no matter what. They might be grounded later, but it is always safe to call for a ride.

Allen said parents and teens should check out the Zero Fatalities app and also the website Zerofatalities.com. Both contain many resources for drivers and parents.