Editorial: Pedestrians need driver awareness

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 8:50 a.m.

Within the jurisdiction of Metro Police, 90 pedestrians have been killed since 2001 as the result of being hit by automobiles. That number includes 27 pedestrians who have been killed this year. Those 27 deaths include three teenage girls who have been killed on Las Vegas streets since Oct. 15. We agree with safety activist Erin Breen, who says those numbers are unacceptable and point to a serious problem.

Breen is campaigning for changes in state law that would result in tougher penalties for drivers found responsible for pedestrian deaths. She has found an ally in Bruce Nelson, a deputy district attorney who prosecutes vehicular crimes. "If you drive through a stop sign and kill someone now, it's a traffic ticket," Nelson told Sun reporters Ed Koch and Dan Kulin. "It's exactly the same as if you drive through a stop sign and don't hit anyone."

The numbers cited by Breen and Metro Police, which include 1,772 auto-pedestrian accidents between Sept. 1, 2000, and Oct. 4 of this year, are alarming and we hope they spark a sustained public dialogue on the issue of road and pedestrian safety. It's too early in the debate for us to state unequivocally that tougher laws are the answer. But Breen's campaign is welcome because we think it will get a lot of people talking about our unsafe streets. Already, state Sen. Dennis Nolan, R-Las Vegas, is saying he would support changes to traffic laws as long as they were "fair and enforceable." Nolan, vice chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, says any new laws should also have a strong public awareness component.

We fully agree with his view on public awareness. Somehow, all too many drivers today have gotten the impression that they are alone on the road, that they can speed, focus on cell-phone conversations, cut people off, ignore traffic signs and lights, pass unsafely and always claim the right of way. Car manufacturers advertise their new models on TV by showing young, self-absorbed people driving at top speeds in urban settings. Something needs to compete with that message. "The issue here is motorist awareness," Breen says. We see her campaign as the starting point for bringing back a value that seemingly has gone out of vogue among many drivers. That value is acting responsibly.