LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — New data shows the when, where, and why behind deadly crashes in Clark County.
A report from the Office of Traffic Safety found impaired driving is the most common cause of fatal crashes in Clark County. But it's not the only factor of concern.
Andrew Bennett, who leads the Office of Traffic Safety, put the spotlight on three major causes of fatal crashes in Clark County: impaired driving, speeding-related crashes, and intersection crashes (which, Bennett explained, mostly occur when drivers run red lights).
A map of traffic crashes throughout the valley shows most incidents occur in major travel corridors, including on Boulder Highway, Tropicana Avenue, Flamingo Road, and Sahara Avenue.
Data shows impaired driving crashes account for 47% of 1,036 deadly crashes in Clark County from 2017 to 2021. In most cases, drivers between the ages of 21 and 25 were involved, Bennett told Clark County commissioners on Tuesday.
Speeding-related fatalities accounted for 29% of the fatal crashes in the county over the past four years, with 21- to 25-year-old drivers involved in a majority of those crashes, too.
"People are choosing to speed," Bennett said. "We have extreme, reckless driving that's occurring in our communities. We've all heard the numbers — 159 mph, 141 mph, 109 mph — so speed is something that we definitely have to focus on when it comes to engineering, but then also working with out local law enforcement partners for enforcement, as well."
Bennett also had data to show when most fatal crashes happened in Clark County.
Impaired driving crashes — The greatest number of these crashes (56%) occurred at night, with the majority happening between the hours of 9 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., Bennett said. Most DUI crashes happened over the weekend, and most involved a single vehicle hitting a fixed object, data shows.
Speeding-related crashes — Most of these crashes (44%) occurred during the daylight hours, Bennett said. They were most common between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5:59 p.m., and most happened on Fridays or over the weekend. Like impaired driving, the greatest number of speeding-related fatal crashes involved a single vehicle hitting a fixed object, the report states.
Intersection crashes — These crashes occurred evenly between day and night (48% for both), and a slight majority of them occurred on Thursdays. The greatest number happened between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8:59 p.m.
"A lot of fatalities happen at intersections," Bennett told commissioners. "That's people choosing to run red lights and, again, there's a behavioral change that has to occur when we get there, as well."
