CARSON CITY - With more than 80 deaths and 10,000 crashes at Nevada intersections in 2012, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) has launched a statewide intersection safety campaign reminding all motorists to use caution when approaching intersections.
The intersection safety campaign includes billboards, TV and radio public service announcements as well as on-line ads featuring Reno resident Cheryl Johnson. Johnson's daughter, Jayme, was killed in 2010 after Jeffrey Elander, then 18, sped through a stop sign and broadsided Jayme's vehicle. Jayme left behind a six-year-old son. Elander, who was not drunk but simply not focused on driving safely, is incarcerated at the Ely Conservation Camp and took part in the campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted and unsafe driving.
Intersection-related crashes claimed the lives of 371 people on Nevada's roadways between 2008 and 2012. During that same time period, a staggering 3,055 people were seriously injured at Nevada intersections.
Nevada traffic and safety advocates continue to put enforcement, engineering, emergency medical and educational strategies in place, with the ultimate goal of zero fatalities on Nevada roads. Recent intersection safety improvements include flashing yellow turn signals at certain intersections, as well as advance warning signs and more to further raise drivers' attention at select rural intersections.
"Too often, we see drivers running a red light or stop sign, and too often, that type of driving leads to deadly consequences," NDOT Director Rudy Malfabon explained. "It is the responsibility of every driver to stop on red every time to help reach zero fatalities on Nevada roads."
"If you just watch what you do and where you go, just maybe it will save somebody's life," Johnson said in a plea for all drivers to avoid the type of careless driving that led to the crash in which her daughter was killed.
The entire story, as well as full intersection driving safety tips, are available at www.stoponrednv.com.
Intersection safety tips
• Always stop at red lights and stop signs
• Do not attempt to "run" a yellow or red light
• Come to a complete stop, look in all directions and yield before turning right on a red light
• Avoid distractions so you can see any red lights, vehicles and pedestrians in advance
• Be aware of everything in the intersection as you approach it, even with a green light
• Prior to proceeding on any green light, look in all directions first and wait for the intersection to be clear before proceeding through.[[In-content Ad]]
