Last year, 70 people were killed walking across Nevada's streets, and the number of pedestrian fatalities has increased every year since 2009. In 2009, 36 people were killed, 40 in 2010, 43 in 2011, and 59 in 2012.
The majority of these accidents occur in the major metropolitan areas of Reno and Las Vegas primarily because there are simply more people out walking. Pedestrian accidents do occur in the smaller towns, too.
At the beginning of 2014, a man died after he was struck by a vehicle in front of a grocery store in Battle Mountain.
In early September, a woman in Winnemucca was hit by a car when she was walking with a stroller across Winnemucca Boulevard. The woman driving the car that struck the pedestrian was cited for talking on a cell phone. While the pedestrian was not seriously injured, her close call should be a wakeup call for drivers to be more aware of pedestrians on city streets.
If you don't already know, it is illegal to talk or text on a cell phone or other handheld device while driving. There's more to the law than that, though. It is illegal to physically handle the electronic device while driving. This means no selfies, no matter how cute you think you look in the mirror. This also means no Internet searches, no changing songs on iTunes, no checking emails, no Google maps, no touching the device - at all -when driving. The law even stipulates that you may not use your device, just for a second, when stopped at a red light.
Use of a cell phone is a primary offense, which means police can pull you over for this alone. The fines for the infraction range from $50 for the first offense to $250 and a six-month license suspension for further offenses.
A ticket is bad, but it would be considerably worse when your distracted driving caused someone to suffer injuries. If you still feel like your conversations can't wait until you get to your destination, use a hands-free device or an in-car voice command system.
It's not just up to drivers to be pedestrian-safe. Pedestrians also have to do their part to keep safe when walking.
Just making eye contact with the driver can help to keep you safe by alerting the driver to your presence.
According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, a majority of pedestrian accidents occur mid-block. People walking across streets often take short-cuts instead of walking to the end of a street and marked crosswalks. Cutting diagonally through an intersection is extremely dangerous as it puts you in the crosshairs of more than just one passing vehicle.
Other dangerous actions by pedestrians include darting into the roadway and failing to yield to oncoming traffic. Yes, pedestrians have the right of way in a crosswalk, but the right of way does not mean you leave your common sense at the curb.
If you know you will be out walking - especially at night- wearing brightly-colored clothing is recommended as not being visible is a factor in some pedestrian fatalities. In Winnemucca, many marked crosswalks have orange flags that pedestrians can use to alert drivers to their presence.
NDOT statistics show that men who are between 36 and 55 years-old are the demographic more likely to be killed or injured, and Friday is the most dangerous day of the week for pedestrians.
It's too late this year for zero fatalities on Nevada's roadways. Accidents will happen, but keeping these safety precautions in mind, both as a driver and a pedestrian, could help reduce the numbers.
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