EDITORIAL: Nevada roadways remain dangerous for drivers, pedestrians

Traffic fatalities in Nevada and Clark County have crept upward as the year has progressed. In January, the state saw a 27 percent decline in traffic-related deaths when compared with the first month of 2021. By the end of July, however, the number of people killed on state roads this year had hit 211, equaling where it stood through the first seven months of 2021, the deadliest year on Nevada highways in 15 years.

Southern Nevada is a particularly dangerous place for pedestrians. In 2021, 66 pedestrians were killed in Clark County, and deaths were running ahead of that pace entering August, when tragedy struck. On Aug. 8, three people lost their lives and one was seriously injured after being struck by drivers in four separate accidents around town.

“The pedestrian problem in our city comes down to human beings doing dumb things, pedestrians and drivers,” UNLV Traffic Safety Coalition coordinator Erin Breen said. “We all need to pay more attention.”

It sounds trite, but Ms. Breen is correct. The blame extends to both pedestrians and drivers. Our ubiquitous electronic gadgets don’t help. Drivers need to put down the phones when they’re operating a 2,000-pound vehicle. Pedestrians need to keep their eyes on their surroundings rather than glued to a smartphone or oblivious thanks to earbuds as they cross local streets.

The city of Las Vegas last year announced a plan to become a Vision Zero city, a national push to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050. No doubt that’s a noble goal. Proponents point to technological advances in automobiles that enhance safety. But realistically, the only way to ensure zero fatalities is to reduce traffic to a crawl or eliminate driver-operated transportation. Despite the best efforts of green activists, we’re still a long way from a transition to driverless vehicles or Americans giving up the autonomy of the automobile.

A far more practical approach is for the police to aggressively enforce distracted driving statutes combined with public service campaigns to educate drivers and pedestrians about the dangers of lackadaisical behavior. Local governments could also examine engineering improvements to Southern Nevada roadways, including more pedestrian bridges and improved signage and markings.

Nevada is not alone in this regard. Traffic deaths have trended upward in recent years after dropping consistently for decades. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that nearly 43,000 Americans were killed in highway accidents in 2021, up more than 10 percent from the previous year. With improved automobile safety features come more electronic bells and whistles to divert driver attention. Is it a coincidence that the end of national declines in annual roadway deaths roughly correlates to the rise of those electronic devices that now dominate our lives?