Carson City sees drop in traffic deaths in 2017

Fewer traffic fatalities, including pedestrian deaths, were reported in Carson City during 2017, according to data released by the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, whose statewide numbers showed a decrease in overall traffic deaths but an increase in pedestrian fatalities last year.

Pedestrian fatalities in Nevada rose last year by nearly 20 percent over 2016, according to an NOTS report, even though the state also experienced a decline in overall traffic deaths by almost 10 percent from the previous year.

“Every death on Nevada roads is a tragedy, and a loved one who will not be coming home,” Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Director Rudy Malfabon said. “Ultimately, our goal is zero fatalities on Nevada roads."

Preliminary data from the NOTA report shows that 303 traffic fatalities occurred on Nevada roads in 2017, down from approximately 330 deaths the previous year.

This decline marks the first time since 2013 that traffic fatalities were fewer than the previous year in Nevada.

Carson City saw three fewer fatal crashes in 2017 compared with 2016, data from the report showed, dropping from seven to four.

There were no alcohol-related fatal traffic crashes last year in the Nevada state capital, the data showed, and one fatal motorcycle crash reported in 2017.

Storey County had no reported fatal traffic crashes in 2017, according to the report, dropping from two in 2016 to zero last year. It had no known motorycle fatalities, either.

Douglas and Lyon counties, however, experienced increases in overall traffic fatalities in 2017, the report said, despite the statewide decline.

There were 11 fatal crashes reported last year in Douglas County, including three that were alcohol-related, an increase of six and more than double the number reported from 2016.

Lyon County's numbers rose sharply from one reported traffic fatality in 2016 to nine last year, the report said, including two events that were alcohol-related.

Lyon County had no known motorcycle fatalities in 2017, while Douglas County had one motorcycle-related traffic fatality last year.

Although overall traffic fatalities statewide went down in 2017, the number of pedestrian deaths jumped from 80 pedestrian fatalities in 2016 to 99 in 2017. Bicyclist deaths also rose from six in 2016 to nine in 2017.

Douglas County had two reported pedestrian fatalities in 2017, the report said, up from zero in 2016. There were none involving bicycles.

Neither Lyon nor Storey counties had any known pedestrian or bicycle fatalities reported last year, consistent with the previous year's numbers.

Carson City, meanwhile, bucked the statewide trend of more fatal pedestrian-involved traffic crashes, dropping significantly from four in 2016 to just one last year.

This represented a 75 percent decrease in pedestrian fatalities, according to report's data.

There were no bicycle-related traffic fatalities reported in the Nevada state capital during either 2016 or 2017, the report said.

Washoe County, too, saw a drop in pedestrian traffic fatalities, declining from 15 in 2016 to 12 last year.

The largest spike in pedestrian deaths occurred in Clark County, where 78 pedestrians were killed in 2017, 21 more than in 2016.

"Transportation and safety agencies across Nevada will continue working every day to save lives on Nevada roads," Malfabon said. "But we also remind every driver, every pedestrian, every bicyclist and motorcyclist to always share the road.”

NDOT said it dedicates approximately $10 million every year to pedestrian safety projects on state roads.

In 2017, crossing signals and other pedestrian safety enhancements were installed on East Charleston Boulevard and Boulder Highway in Las Vegas, as well as along Kietzke Lane and North Virginia Street in Reno.

Nearly 30 sidewalk decals were also installed in the Reno area, featuring imagery such as a shark-infested ocean with the message, “crossing distracted is just as deadly.”

The images are designed to remind pedestrians that crossing area roadways without paying attention can be perilous. The decals join similar sidewalk safety reminders installed in Las Vegas in 2016.

The efforts join local improvements to enhance pedestrian safety in cities and counties across the state.

"Our goal is cutting the yearly traffic fatality average in half by 2030, with the ultimate goal of zero fatalities on Nevada roads," NDOT Chief Traffic Safety Engineer Ken Mammen said. "And we do that through the enforcement, engineering, emergency medical response and public education strategies defined in our Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan.”

To help save lives, traffic safety partners across the state utilize focused strategies in six emphasis areas: pedestrian, intersection, seatbelt and motorcycle safety, as well as reducing impaired driving and limiting lane departure crashes by focusing on distracted driving.

“We focus on the driving behaviors and issues that lead to the most deaths and injuries on Nevada roads,” Mammen said.

Through the Nevada Department of Public Safety Joining Forces program’s heightened enforcement campaigns, Nevada law enforcement officers issued approximately 73,000 citations in 2017 to help reduce impaired, unbuckled, distracted or otherwise unsafe driving.

“Every day, someone you love walks, rides, drives or takes public transportation to school, work, a doctor’s appointment, or to run errands,” Nevada Office of Traffic Safety Administrator Amy Davey said. “If zero fatalities is the only acceptable number for your family and circle of friends, then it is the only acceptable number for all of us.”

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Dan Gordon agreed, adding that the zero fatality goal is one that can only be met with the cooperation of everyone on the road, one driver at a time.

“We work every day to help everyone be safe on the road,” he said. “But ultimately, we know that reaching zero fatalities relies on each and every person on the road, and we want to remind everyone to always be safe on Nevada roads.”

To learn more about Nevada traffic safety, log on to www.zerofatalitiesnv.com.