LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Stop on red, go on green...but what about yellow?
That split-second decision can prove dangerous for a lot of drivers — and it's the reason Clark County officials are testing limits to the yellow yield arrow in left turn lanes at busy intersections.
"We have been working cautiously but also diligently on how we can reduce this, as I see it as a plague on our community," said Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft.
He's talking about the blinking, yellow arrows that allow drivers to turn left at an intersection, and the dangers they can pose for drivers.
For some local drivers like Las Vegas native Samantha Wine, when to turn on yellow can pose a serious dilemma — and one with potentially serious consequences.
"Not everybody has that estimation of time and the speed of how the other car is coming," Wine said.
"I personally have been in an accident where somebody didn't estimate how fast I was going, and they thought they could make it on a yield and I went right into them."
It's collisions like Wine's that county officials want to put an end to.
"We saw more than 80 people killed walking last year alone, and that's the number that this largely gets, along with head-on collisions — two extremely dangerous things," Naft said.
At the busy Henderson intersection where I caught up with Commissioner Naft, he explained what the county is doing to make our roads safer — including something you may have noticed while driving around town.
Naft tells us those flashing yellow arrows have been turned off during peak hours at all intersections where the speed limit is 45 mph or higher and there are at least three lanes of traffic.
So far this year, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has reported 27 traffic-related fatalities in its jurisdiction.
I asked Naft what he thinks has led to so many of these fatal traffic incidents.
"There is everything from education to design that we can pinpoint," he said.
"You look at the design of our roads; we have some of the widest, fastest, longest roads of any municipality in the country."
Along with testing safer options for the yellow yield arrows, Naft says county officials are looking at how roads are designed and how traffic laws are being implemented to keep our valley's drivers safe.
When it comes to driving safety, Wine thinks the yield arrows are a good start. It's something she takes seriously, especially when her children are in the car.
"It will definitely decrease traffic infractions and accidents," she said.
While the county is working on ways to make our roads safer, there are things drivers can do to keep themselves safe.
For one thing, Naft advises waiting five seconds after a light turns green before you cross the intersection.
A previous report from the Clark County Office of Traffic Safety found collisions at intersections are among the three most common types of fatal crashes in Clark County, and they mainly occur when drivers run a red light.
Another common cause of fatal crashes on our roads is speeding. Naft says you can avoid that by giving yourself extra time to get where you're going, so you don't feel the need to speed.
