The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced earlier in 2023 that $2 million was awarded to support current improvements in Las Vegas. The monies will be allocated toward improvements in the city’s Westside, along I-15 and Bonanza Road. Specifically, the funds will go toward creating curb extensions, wider sidewalks, better lighting, and other measures to improve pedestrian safety. This new funding was made through a bipartisan bill. The bill was passed, in part, with the help of Senator Jacky Rosen in response to statistics indicating that 88 pedestrians died in traffic accidents on Nevada roads in 2022, with 72 of those deaths occurring in Clark County alone.
The number of pedestrian deaths has increased from 2021 to 2022. The area where the improvements will occur has seen pedestrian deaths this year. In February 2023, a fatal pedestrian accident happened on I-15 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Traffic was shut down northbound after the pedestrian, who was standing in the travel lanes, was struck by multiple cars. It is unknown why the pedestrian was standing on the road, and first responders pronounced the victim deceased at the scene of the accident.
A Trend in Fatal Nevada Accidents
Researchers at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Medical School (UNLV) have been researching and analyzing traffic data in the last 10 years to try to determine better solutions to the rise in car accident deaths in the state. According to the data collected by the Traffic Safety Research Group (TSRG), the number of deaths in 2021 totaled 385, while the number of traffic fatalities in 2022 increased by 3% to 396. The main causes of these types of crashes included:
- Failure to obey traffic signs and signals;
- Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
- Distracted driving;
- Failure to wear a seatbelt; and
- Driving beyond the posted speed limit.
According to the research, 32% of the state’s traffic deaths are related to a driver running a red light or traffic stop, while 52% of Nevada’s traffic tickets were the result of speeding. Of the percentage of drivers speeding, 34% were driving at 80 miles per hour or more.
Keeping Nevada Pedestrians Safe
The research further indicated that speeding and traffic citations increased in school zone areas. A new proposed bill, Assembly Bill 93 (AB93), would result in the placement of enforcement cameras in Nevada’s school zones. The traffic study further showed that pedestrian deaths in Nevada are on the rise, impacting the young and old the most. Part of the reason for this trend includes older groups having limited mobility and requiring more time to cross intersections and younger groups being more mobile but more likely to be distracted while crossing at intersections.
Nevada Personal Injury Attorneys
If you or someone you love has been hurt in a Nevada car accident, contact the experienced attorneys at H&P Law. We have fought for the rights of the injured in Las Vegas and across Nevada and will do the same for you. Do not delay. Contact us today.
