Patrols hiked at 15 dangerous intersections

Cathy Scott

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Metro Police traffic officers are out in force patrolling 15 of the most dangerous accident locations in the Las Vegas Valley.

A Metro study of accidents from January through July identified the worst intersections. Motorcycle officers are targeting those areas to ticket motorists to get them to slow down, pay attention and follow the rules of the road.

Teams of eight to 12 motorcycle officers will patrol these intersections and their routes, solo and in pairs, writing tickets to motorists who commit moving violations, traffic Capt. Carl Fruge said. The beefed-up patrols will continue through the end of the month.

The officers' emphasis will be five major violations: failure to yield the right of way; failure to reduce speed; inattention to driving; improper lane change; and following too closely.

Also, officers will be issuing tickets to school zone violators and jaywalkers.

The extra patrols stem from a Selective Traffic Enforcement Project, funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which covers the cost of the stepped-up effort, Fruge said.

For the eighth year in a row, Nevada has ranked in the top 10 of most dangerous states for motorists because of injury and fatal accidents.

"The human loss in traffic accidents is tragic," Fruge said.

The physical loss is great as well.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that motor vehicle accidents cost $137 billion annually.

An analysis of accident rates between January and July was done through the department's crime analysis unit to see where and when traffic officers would have the greatest effect on reducing accidents.

The study did not include intersections in Henderson or North Las Vegas.

The peak times for accidents to occur are from 7:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Enforcement times vary in different areas of the valley, depending on the location. In the southwest valley, officers will be patrolling from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and Sept. 23. In the northeast, motorcycle cops will patrol from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. In the southeast, they will be out from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 19 and Sept. 26. And in the northwest, cops will be on the lookout from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27.

"This project is hoped to provide a high degree of police presence and result in community cooperation in reducing our accident rate," Fruge said.