Editorial: Can we see road safety as priority?

Saturday, June 19, 2004 | 12:28 p.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 19 - 20, 2004

Death never takes a holiday on Nevada's roads.

Every day of the year, on average, at least one person is killed in a traffic accident somewhere in the state. We can't shrug this off with the flippant "accidents happen." They don't have to happen this frequently. Nevada's fatality rate per 100 million miles traveled is 2.1, while the national average is 1.5. And that's just for motorists. Two weeks ago, in an investigative report, the Sun disclosed that Southern Nevada for years has been one of the most dangerous places in the country for pedestrians and bicyclists, with 81 fatalities in the past 17 months. And the statistics are unceasingly growing. Just this past week a 65-year-old Clark County grandmother, walking home from her waitressing job, was killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Something is terribly wrong when our streets are this dangerous. We have called for tougher laws and have appealed to drivers to slow down and be more careful. As Nevadans, we should be ashamed of our national standing when it comes to road safety. The grief and tragedy we are causing for each other should be enough to make all of us vow to act more more responsibly on the roads, whether we're in cars, on bikes or on foot.

In this vein, our appreciation goes out to the Nevada Transportation Department, which last week held an unprecedented, two-day meeting for state and local officials involved in all aspects of traffic safety. The officials were surprised to learn how little they knew of each other's work, and how much safer the state could be just through improved communication. They learned the effectiveness of bringing their individual perspectives to road designs. To reduce the frequency of rollovers at a particular spot, for example, highway engineers might suggest rumble strips or a shoulder redesign, a police officer might suggest speed traps and an administrator might suggest airing public-service announcements. Knowing of the frequency, ambulance crews might offer a plan for faster response to the area. Before the meeting concluded, the group had drafted the state' s first Comprehensive Strategic Highway Safety Plan and had pledged to continue working closely together.

This is the kind of response we like to see from government agencies. If the spirit of this meeting stays alive, we believe many Nevadans will, too.