Editorial: More enforcement needed

Friday, Nov. 24, 2006 | 7:04 a.m.

The death of 19-year-old Ashley Swain two years ago should have been a wake-up call about the dangers of speeding on our roadways.

Her tragic death could have been prevented. She was killed when a garbage truck, over its legal weight, careened out of control and toppled onto her Chevrolet Suburban, which was stopped at a red light.

The danger of overloaded trucks adds a chilling dimension to driving in the Las Vegas Valley, which can already be a frightening experience.

A Las Vegas Sun story on Tuesday by Ed Koch noted that two of every five tractor-trailers stopped on city and county streets this year by the Nevada Highway Patrol have been cited for being overweight. That's up from the previous year, in which the NHP found one in three to be overweight. What may be worse is that overweight violations have come three times more on streets and roads than on highways.

This is a real problem that needs to be addressed.

The 2005 Legislature provided for more portable scales for the NHP, and that has been helpful. The NHP also needs a full complement of troopers, and the Legislature should look at whether the fines are high enough to deter trucking companies and haulers from overloading their vehicles.

The state needs to look at whatever it can do to keep drivers safe. There should be no reason for another tragedy.