State ranked 11th in traffic deaths

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, May 24, 2001 | 10:22 a.m.

Nevada ranks 11th in the nation for the most motor vehicle deaths, according to federal and state studies aimed at reducing the number of traffic fatalities.

Nevada, which shared its 11th-place ranking with Alabama, Idaho and Tennessee, had two fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 1999, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a federal database.

In 1990 Nevada had 3.1 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled.

Massachusetts has the lowest rate, with 0.8 deaths. Mississippi had 2.7 deaths. The national average for 1999 was 1.5.

An estimated 41,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of car wrecks, and another 500,000 are hospitalized, a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says.

Traffic accidents also account for more than 4 million emergency room visits each year, the CDC report says.

Nevada had 323 traffic fatalities last year, 188 of them in Clark County, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety. So far this year 27 people have died as a result of wrecks in Metro Police's jurisdiction.

The National Center for Injury Prevention also released a report that focuses on reminding people to follow common sense principles, such as fastening seat belts and not driving under the influence, said David Sleet, the center's associate director for science. Police DUI checkpoints have been especially effective in helping to spread the word, Sleet said.

The CDC report recommends increased involvement by community groups and law enforcement entities toward the reduction of traffic deaths. Among the recommendations: stopping vehicles for seat belt law violations, frequent sobriety checkpoints and distributing child safety seats.

Clark County already follows most of the report's recommendations, including distributing child safety seats as part of a program with the county health district. Metro also operates the DUI and Accident Reduction Team, which targets intersections throughout the city.

Metro Detective William Redfairn said he often became frustrated when he arrived at an accident in which a victim had not been wearing a seat belt. But after 15 years on the job, Redfairn said he has learned that people will make their own choices.

"The people I feel sorry for are the families," Redfairn said. "We've known since the 1950s that seat belts save lives. There's no excuse not to wear one."

Redfairn saw firsthand Friday how a seat belt could save a life, he said. Amy Litvinoff, 18, and her 24-year-old brother, Christopher, were involved in a wreck at the intersection of Oakey and Martin Luther King boulevards. Christopher Litvinoff's 1979 Cadillac was totaled, and he and his sister were critically injured. The seat belts likely kept them from being thrown from the car during the crash, Redfairn said.

A case not so fortunate occurred April 10, Redfairn said, when Donna Moran, 39, died after she was ejected from the passenger seat of a 1996 Chrysler Sebring. Moran wasn't wearing a seat belt. She was thrown onto the road and landed ahead of the vehicle. The car came to rest on on top of her, Redfairn said.