It will soon be illegal to drive a large vehicle, RV or trailer over one of the country’s steepest roads without a permission slip from the state.
Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) Director Darin Westby said the self-certification for mountain driving will be permanent in a few weeks.
“There are 8,000 cars a day that go over that pass,” Westby said. “So I mean, statistically speaking, it’s a relatively safe pass. Unfortunately, we’ve just seen some driver behavior that isn’t conducive to safe driving.”
Transportation officials jumped into action after a flood of feedback this summer following three fatalities and nearly a dozen injuries in three severe crashes on the same one-mile stretch of highway near Wilson.
Teton Pass is the quickest route between bedroom communities in Idaho and Jackson Hole. Average daily traffic over the pass from Idaho increased 66% from 2009 to 2023, according to WYDOT.
Westby thinks the program of safety videos on using low gear, checking equipment and navigating steep grades – dubbed “SAFE PASS” – will be the first restriction of its type in the country.
“I think this is going to be a permanent program,” he said. “I’m very proud of our team that we’ve put together.”
Advocates and first responders are celebrating the swift action.
“It’s a great first step,” said Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr, who also serves on a WYDOT board. “We will allocate as many resources as we can to help it out. It’s preventative; it’s not meant to be punitive.”
Local law enforcement and Wyoming Highway Patrol will be responsible for checking whether drivers are certified, though such retroactive inspections may be limited.
How much offenders will pay is still being determined. Drivers face a $1,000 fine for a first-time offense and $2,500 for a quick second under state laws for some weight-based closures. Carr said he doesn’t expect his deputies or state troopers to be handing out loads of tickets.
The goal is to capture the group that doesn’t know what they’re getting into. Carr said one of the bigger problems is inexperienced drivers – commercial and not — that “don’t have the tools to safely get down without blowing through their brakes.”
Jared Smith, a Jackson organizer with Make Teton Pass Safer, which was created after the first fatal crash this summer, said his group was “very, very pleased.
“You can see the results,” he said, adding that brainstorming for additional solutions continues.
Drivers will have to renew their pass annually, Westby said. All existing regulations, including seasonal closures and the 60,000-pound weight limit, remain unchanged, according to a WYDOT press release.
More than 60 accidents occur on the pass each year, according to state data. That includes seven fatal incidents in the past four years, including the collisions this summer.
