A graphic from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety showing traffic fatalities by county through the first two months of the year.
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As rain and snow slickened roads throughout western Nevada on Monday, state officials announced a public awareness campaign on distracted driving. The campaign follows a report showing traffic fatalities up more than 16 percent in Nevada in the first two months of the year.
The state’s Office of Traffic Safety funded the joint campaign between Nevada Highway Patrol and participating law enforcement. It runs April 1-19.
“This distracted drivers campaign aims to increase law enforcement participation by coordinating highly visible patrols across the state of Nevada with the goal of keeping motorists safe by educating the motoring public about the dangers of distracted driving,” according to a news release.
State officials maintained that “distractions come in many forms, whether it’s the phone, other passengers, eating or anything else that takes your mind and eyes off the road.”
“Focus on what matters most – driving – and keep yourself and others on the road safe,” said the release. “Keep in mind that sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for approximately five seconds. At 55 mph, that is the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”
Reported mid-March, preliminary data from the Office of Traffic Safety (under the Department of Public Safety) shows 61 traffic fatalities in Nevada in the first two months of 2024 versus 71 in the first two months of this year.
Carson City had one fatal car crash in the reporting period, which involved a reportedly unrestrained driver killed on eastbound Highway 50 on Feb. 24.
While Clark County saw a decrease in fatalities, from 50 to 47 year-over-year, Washoe County saw an increase of 83 percent, from six deaths in the beginning of 2024 to 11 this year.
Rural Lyon County saw a 400 percent increase in the same time period, from one fatality in the first two months of 2024 to five this year including a fatal motorcycle crash, according to the state.
If there is a silver lining in the data, it might be that pedestrian deaths fell in both Carson City and Lyon County — from one each at the beginning of 2024 to zero in both jurisdictions through February.
For information go to zerofatalitiesnv.com.
The National Weather Service forecast snow showers for the region into Tuesday night, with cool but sunnier weather expected for Wednesday.
For road information go to nvroads.com/region/Carson%20City