Vehicle crashes in Carson City up 20 percent, driver inattention largely to blame
Driver inattentiveness, speeding and cell phone use are factors for around 20 percent more vehicle crashes along Carson City area roads this year compared to the first seven months of 2014, a Carson City Sheriff’s Office sergeant said this week.
Not counting those crashes investigated by the Nevada Highway Patrol, there’s been 250-plus crashes from January to July of this year. During the first seven months of 2014, there were 200 crashes, said Carson City Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Scott McDaniel.
Public education is key to getting motorists to slow down, pay attention and follow the rules of the road, said McDaniel during a recent safety demonstration at one of a handful of intersections hotspots that have been problematic for motorists.
This summer the Nevada Department of Transportation implemented a no-right-turn on red policy at the intersection of Fairview and South Carson Street. The signage at the intersection, like the ones at I-580 and Fairview and at Retail Drive and College Parkway, are clearly posted yet many motorists are not abiding by it, said McDaniel.
“The ‘no right on red’ arrow is well marked with a sign but what we’re seeing are motorists who either don’t know its there or are ignoring it,” he said.
Other roadways that have experienced an upswing in crashes are up and down College Parkway, the intersection of Research and College Parkway and Airport Road and Highway 50 East.
There were two vehicle crashes Thursday on College Parkway: one at the intersection of North Carson Street and the other at Research Way.
In both crashes, the motorists at fault, including the driver a Lamborghini in the accident at Research Way, were not paying attention to traffic in front of them.
Because motorists appear to be speeding more, they are creating bottleneck areas that make them more prone to crashes, he said. Drivers who pace each other instead of using the passing lane and then return to the travel lane once they have passed create the bottleneck. By not allowing vehicles to pass creates tailgating and can lead to road rage and aggressive driving incidents as well as car crashes.
“One of the issues we’re seeing are vehicles in the travel lane pacing with vehicles in the right hand lane. This is not only causing a bottleneck and a blind spot for pedestrians, but it is also a cause of aggressive drivers and incidents of road rage,” said McDaniel.
The one car length for every 10 mph is a rule of thumb and recommended for safety to allow stopping distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Not all vehicles are equipped with anti-lock and disc brakes which allow motorists to stop quicker depending on roadway and traffic conditions.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office will be participating in Joining Forces through the rest of the month of July and into early August. The focus of the event will be speed enforcement.
Grant Funding for this event is provided by the Nevada Department of Public Safety-Office of Traffic Safety. These monies are used to pay for additional deputies who will be out looking for drivers who are speeding.
Law enforcement agencies throughout the state will be working around the clock to urge drivers and riders to slow their speed.
In an effort to eliminate the recent spike in statewide fatalities, agencies aligned with Joining Forces will be focused on enforcing speed limit laws through August 10.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatalities Analysis Reporting System, Nevada has seen in 10 percent increase in fatalities to date compared to the same time last year.
The same data shows that the increase could have been avoided if motorists had adhered to posted speed limits.
Drivers and motorcycle riders should take extra care between the nighttime hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. when visibility is decreased and the majority of speed-related fatalities occur, said McDaniel.
“Speeding increases the potential for loss of vehicle control, reduce the effectiveness of occupant protection equipment, decreases stopping distance in instances of danger, and increases the degree of crash severity leading to more debilitating injuries,” he said.
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