Commentary: Doug Gillespie explains how average drivers can make Las Vegas Valley roadways safer

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

Twenty-seven years ago, when I began my career at Metro Police , many things were different. One thing that has not changed , however, is our focus on keeping our valley safe.

Very early on in my career I learned the value of educating the community in our efforts to keep our valley safe. I recognized that we, the police, could not be as successful as we could be without the help of the residents of the Las Vegas community.

Today I am asking for your help in making our roads safer.

One of the most frequent concerns I hear from the community is the traffic problems in the valley. Our department shares this concern , not only because of the increase in fatal accidents this year, but also because our officers spend most of the day on the same roadways you travel.

The first six months of this year we drove more than 9 million miles as a police department. A leading cause of injury and death to officers is traffic accidents. In fact, nationally, it is the No. 1 killer of cops.

Our officers, staff, families and friends are affected by traffic accidents every day. Although some may be more serious than others, each accident reminds us that traffic remains one of the top concerns of this community and the department.

We look at many ways to address this continuing problem in our community. We focus on the three E's of traffic safety: enforcement, education and engineering.

Engineering issues that we observe while on the roadways are discussed monthly at meetings with city and county traffic engineers.

Enforcement efforts have been stepped up, in partnership with other police agencies - Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, Mesquite, Paiute Tribal Police, Las Vegas Detention Enforcement and Nevada Highway Patrol.

Engineering does make roads safer and enforcement can change some drivers' behavior , but education is needed to make a difference in the habits of the average driver.

The average driver thinks the yellow light means speed up to make it through the red light. Failure to obey traffic devices is a leading cause of fatal accidents. The average driver goes 10 to 15 miles faster than the posted speed limit. Excessive speed is also a leading contributor to fatal accidents.

The average driver leaves five minutes late for that important destination and drives while talking on a cell phone, drinking coffee and eating a drive-through meal.

At best, the average driver is not paying full attention to the roadway. At worst, it is the average driver who is involved in one of more than 17,000 accidents in Metro's jurisdiction alone this year.

We can all identify with the "average driver" in one way or another. So, it is not just the other guy on the road we have to look out for.

It is the "average driver," it is all of us, who need to improve our driving habits to make a difference on the roadway. Buckle up, put the cell phone away, leave a few minutes early and pay full attention when you are behind the wheel of what can be equivalent to a loaded weapon.

As I mentioned earlier, when I started in this department 27 years ago things were very different. The thing that remains the same is people. People who have the desire to do the right thing aren't average, they are extraordinary.

Las Vegas is an extraordinary place with extraordinary people. It starts with you.