A graphic from the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety with preliminary data showing crash fatalities down the first four months of the year.
Despite a deadly February, fatalities on Nevada roadways have dropped overall during the first four months of the year, according to preliminary data from the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.
In the first four months of 2025, there were 133 traffic fatalities statewide compared to 137 over the same time in 2024 – a 2.9 percent decrease.
Traffic fatalities rose in February – 32 this year compared to 19 in 2024 – but have since declined by 27.5 percent in March and by 11 percent in April, the OTS reported.
In Carson City, traffic fatalities have fallen 66.7 percent over the reporting period, from three crash deaths in 2024 to one this year. The 2025 fatality involved a reportedly unrestrained driver killed on eastbound Highway 50 on Feb. 24.
There have been no pedestrian, motorcycle or cyclist crash deaths so far this year in the capital.
Neighboring Lyon County, however, has seen a 66.7 increase in the reporting period, with traffic deaths rising from three last year to five this year including one motorcycle crash death.
The latest data is preliminary and takes two years to finalize, but the OTS reported 3,559 people died on Nevada roads between 2015 and 2024. In that stretch of time, 2024 saw the highest number of fatalities with 420 statewide.
Heading into the summer months, state officials are pushing for more awareness.
“May 27 marks the beginning of the 100 deadliest days, the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day that has historically proven to be a fatal time on Nevada’s roadways, especially for teen drivers,” the OTS said in a news release. “Crashes are the leading cause of death for American teens, and during this time, teens are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.”
The state’s Zero Fatalities program offered the following safety tips:
For Teens
• Don’t Drive Impaired – Impairment continues to be a leading factor in fatal crashes, making up 51 percent of Nevada’s total fatalities from 2018-22. Despite the national drinking age being 21, 30 percent of young drivers aged 15 to 20 years old who were killed in crashes had blood alcohol concentration that was over the legal limit. Impaired driving extends past alcohol and can also include over-the-counter and prescription medication and cannabis.
• Wear Your Seatbelt – Seatbelts must be worn in both the front and back seats. Wearing a seatbelt only takes a few seconds and is the single most effective thing to save lives in a car crash.
• Focus on the Road – Minimize distractions, follow the speed limit, pay attention to all road signs and traffic signals and don’t follow cars too closely.
For Parents
• Model Good Driving Behavior – Teens watch and naturally pick up driving habits by watching their parents. As a role model for teen drivers, the best way for parents to teach their children is to practice and exemplify safe driving habits.
• Defensive Driving Refresh – Safe driving recommendations are constantly being updated, and it may prove beneficial for parents to take a refresher course to remain up to date with driving techniques. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has endorsed a hand-to-hand steering technique rather than the previous recommendation of keeping your hands at “10 and 2.”
• Talk to Teens – As a parent, it is important to properly communicate the seriousness of the 100 deadliest days and make sure teens understand the importance of following the law (number of passengers allowed, curfew, impaired and distracted driving, speed, etc.).
“The Nevada Zero Fatalities program is reminding Nevadans that the roadways are a shared responsibility and any number of roadway fatalities other than zero is unacceptable,” the release said.
For information, go to ZeroFatalitiesNV.com.