2021 saw big jump in traffic deaths for pedestrians, motorcyclists

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Nevada saw 382 postulation fatalities successful 2021, marking the deadliest twelvemonth connected roadways since 2006, according to preliminary authorities information released Friday.

The numbers correspond a 18 percent year-over-year summation statewide. In Clark County, the summation was 22 percent.

In 2020, determination 324 fatalities among drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians. The highest decease full noted by authorities records dating backmost to 1991 is 2006, erstwhile 431 fatalities were recorded.

“It’s shocking,” newly-named Clark County Office of Traffic Safety manager Andrew Bennett said. “We judge that velocity and impairment volition proceed to beryllium the starring causes of fatalities, and astatine the extremity of the time those 2 specifically are choices that radical make.”

In Clark County, 235 radical died past year.

Both the region and authorities saw an summation successful deaths among pedestrians and motorcycle riders, portion deaths among bicyclists fell.

Deaths among motorcycle riders roseate a staggering 32 percent crossed the state, the astir of immoderate group. Seventy-nine died past year.

Fatalities had fallen respective years, reaching a debased of 304 successful 2019. They’ve accrued some of the past 2 years, according to information tracked by Nevada’s Office of Traffic Safety.

“If you worth life, it’s clip for america to instrumentality a look astatine however we physique our roads and what’s important to us,” said Erin Breen, manager of UNLV’s Road Equity Alliance Project.

She advocated for section governments to follow the nationalist Safe System approach, a method that tried to trim superior and fatal postulation collisions by designing roads to expect quality mistakes.

One example, she said, would beryllium creating crosswalks person to autobus stops.

Breen besides pointed to Washoe County. It’s 1 of the fewer Nevada counties wherever postulation fatalities fell past year, contempt the portion enjoying steadfast colonisation growth.

“They don’t person precise galore streets that are 45 mph, period,” she said. “And we’ve moved connected to streets with 55 mph velocity limits (in Clark County).”

Bennett volition instrumentality the helm of the county’s caller Office of Traffic Safety aboriginal this month. He believes the caller bureau volition let the region to much profoundly look astatine unsafe section roadways, down to the intersection level.

For now, helium and Breen said each motorist tin marque an contiguous interaction by driving the velocity limit, wearing their seatbelt and not getting down the instrumentality portion intoxicated.

“It conscionable comes down to idiosyncratic responsibility,” Breen said.