Clark County DUI-related deaths down

By Mary Manning

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008 | 4:30 p.m.

For 2007 Nevada did sixth best in the nation for reducing traffic fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today.

Nationwide fatal accidents dropped 3.9 percent, with Nevada's fatalities dropping 13 percent, from 431 in 2006 to 371 in 2007, the report said.

Fifty-five percent of the drop was in Clark County.

For alcohol related fatals, Clark County did very well, dropping close to 9 percent. Statewide, alcohol-related deaths dropped 8 percent. In total, 33.7 percent of fatal accidents in Clark County were related to alcohol.

But fatal accidents involving impaired drivers still occur.

Since impaired drivers are on the highways and streets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, law enforcement agencies are going to combat drunken driving through the Labor Day weekend under the campaign known as "Over the Limit:Under Arrest."

Two recent victims of drunk drivers are speaking out for this campaign.

Last month Christian Ramos, while driving with his family east on Alta Drive, was hit by a drunk driver. There were six people in his SUV, including two children. Christian's 9-year-old daughter was pinned under the vehicle and received critical injuries.

Mother Vicki Johnson was proud of her 17-year-old son Joshua's job with a local motorcycle scooter shop.

Joshua was driving a cycle back to the shop after a trade show on June 5, 2005. Following close behind in a truck, Joshua's boss, with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15, close to twice the legal limit for alcohol.

The truck ran over the small cycle and Joshua was killed.

Vicki Johnson now shares her story with teenage drivers in Las Vegas through the "Every 15 Minutes" program. In the last five years the most dramatic drop in alcohol-related fatal accidents in Clark County has been for high school students, 16 and 17.