Through the first three months of 2022, traffic fatalities as a whole in Nevada have been decreasing year-over-year for the past several years. This is news we can all be happy about. There has been a 14% drop when compared with the same period last year. There have been 70 collision-related deaths on Nevada roads so far this year, whereas 80 people died in motor vehicle accidents in our state by this time last year. However, there is bad news. Despite the state’s positive trend, Clark County’s figures continued to deteriorate throughout the first quarter of this year. Clark County accounted for 59 of 70 traffic deaths this year. That’s a 23 percent spike compared with the first quarter of 2021. Those fatalities occurred in 50 fatal crashes.
This includes the tragic nine-death accident that occurred earlier this year when a driver under the influence slammed into a family van going 100 MPH, killing himself, his passenger, and most of the family in the van. Unfortunately, Clark County has seen a 41% increase in the number of passenger deaths through this point in the year, with a total of 24. There is another troubling victim statistic going up as well: pedestrian deaths. Pedestrian deaths in Southern Nevada have increased by 17% this year to a total of 21.
Clark County Department of Traffic Safety director, Andrew Bennett said “We had an absolutely horrific start to the year. We had fatal times nine, which is heavily present in these numbers. To be up 22% is disappointing. That now is a three-year increase for Clark County.” Bennett continued, “We’re down to three things that we’re trying to get drivers to do. Slow down, always drive sober and buckle up. Those are three behaviors that we are unfortunately seeing an increase in. … We’re working with all of our partners to make sure we get that message out as much as possible, but we’re also ready to respond to it and to let people know we’re taking this seriously.”
Bennett is optimistic Clark County can change its fate the rest of the year, stating, “I like where the state is heading, and I think that (Clark County) will start to head in the right direction going into the summer, and hopefully throughout the rest of the year we can normalize the numbers and head in the same direction as the state is overall.”
“Car accidents are on the rise in the Las Vegas area. At Edward M Bernstein and Associates, we take these accidents seriously. If you or a loved one have been involved in a car accident, we can help you. Call 702-996-3917.
Note: These posts are created using publicly available (secondary) sources. The information has not been independently verified. If you see any information that should be corrected, please bring it to our attention, and we will make adjustments. The photos included in these posts do not represent the actual accident scene.”