Less holiday travel expected

Stephen Curran and Mary Manning

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

Driving tips

Source: AAA

For many Americans Labor Day conjures up images of barbecues, family vacations -- and the crowded roadways that go along with the holiday.

But the roads should be a little less crowded this holiday, according to AAA Nevada officials, who say that fewer Nevadans will be taking to the roads this weekend.

The agency expects 282,200 Nevadans to travel 50 miles or more by car, down less than 1 percent from last year. Most will be staying closer to home, with the Grand Canyon and other nearby destinations being popular among Las Vegans, AAA predicted.

That follows a national trend: 32.7 million people across the country are expected to travel, down slightly from 33 million last year.

About 80 percent of those travelers nationwide are expected to drive, said Lisa Foster, spokeswoman for AAA Nevada.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also expects visitor volume here to be down a bit. The 270,000 visitors expected in Southern Nevada over the three-day weekend is about 1.5 percent less than last year, Kevin Bagger, senior research analyst, said. The group does not estimate how many visitors will come by car and how many by air.

Even with the lower estimates, Metro Police will be stepping up efforts to reduce traffic accidents, Sgt. Frank Weigand said.

Metro is not anticipating an increased number of fatalities, he said. Last year there were no fatalities during the Labor Day weekend, Weigand said.

"Hopefully the same thing will happen," Weigand said.

The increased traffic controls will include a DUI motorcycle patrol Saturday in the northeast part of town and a DUI checkpoint Sunday night at an unspecified location.

While the department is not anticipating more traffic accidents, the increased number of cars on the road will make the likelihood of an accident greater, Weigand said.

"Obviously if there's more people here, there a greater chance for an accident," he said.

Although no traffic deaths occurred on Labor Day in Southern Nevada last year, three fatal accidents occurred in the state, said Erin Breen, Safe Community Partnership Director. Two were reported in Washoe County and one in Lincoln County. One of the two deaths in the Reno area was DUI-related, she said.

For all major holidays in 2001, 33 people died, Breen said. Of that number, 17 were DUI-related.

Normally, Weigand said, about one to two of every 1,000 traffic stops are alcohol-related, statistics that should be the same this weekend, he said.

To help keep those numbers low, Stop DUI, a Las Vegas-based drunk driving prevention program, will sponsor its Designated Drivers program, which offers a free ride home to anyone who calls an automated dispatching system.

The organization will send two drivers, one to drive the caller's car and the other to transport the caller. The program is free starting Friday through the weekend and is available year-round for a $40 fee, Stop DUI executive director Sandy Heverly said.

"There's no excuse for a DUI, not when everything's free," Heverly said. "They don't even have to worry about picking up their car. It's right there in their driveway."

For the remaining drivers the best defense against the increased number of cars on the road is to be prepared and stay focused on the road, although this can be difficult with the number of distractions in modern cars, Foster said.

"With all the technology in your car, between your cell phone and PDA and everything else, it's important not to get distracted," Foster said. "If motorists are more aware of the complexities of driving we certainly would have a better crash rate."

Recent statistics also point to distractions as being the cause of an increasing number of accidents, Foster said.

Despite the AAA predictions, it is expected to be business as usual at McCarran International Airport, airport spokeswoman Debbie Millett said.

Officials from the airport are expecting about 400,000 passengers to pass through the terminals, roughly the same as last year, she said.

"The airlines haven't canceled any flights," Millett said. "We're gearing up for a normal Labor Day weekend."

The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is expecting a few more boaters and swimmers this weekend, National Park Service spokeswoman Kay Rhode said.

Weather forecasts call for temperatures about normal for this time of year in the Las Vegas Valley and at the lake, according to the National Weather Service.

Normal temperatures in the valley are about 100 degrees and three to five degrees higher for the lake. Weather conditions indicate temperatures between 102 degrees and 105 degrees through Tuesday.

No rain is in the forecast, but on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday skies could be partly cloudy.