The Nevada Traffic Safety Summit gathers safety partners from throughout the state to share best practices for implementing strategies and action steps to reach the ultimate goal of Zero Fatalities in Nevada.
Hosted by the Nevada Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety–Office of Traffic Safety, this annual event brings together traffic safety partners, industry professionals, educators, and advocates to discuss the challenges of traffic safety with respect to the ever-changing world around us. More than 300 representatives of the six E’s of traffic safety (Equity, Engineering, Education, Enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, and Everyone) attended the 2022 Safety Summit.
For more information about the 2023 Safety Summit and to register for this free event, please click on this link https://zerofatalitiesnv.com/safety-summit/
NDOT currently places “Wrong Way” signs on all freeway ramps to notify drivers errantly entering in the wrong direction. As a pilot program, NDOT is installing additional flashing warning signals and detection systems on certain interstate and freeway off-ramps.
The wrong way driver alert system uses radar and closed-circuit cameras to automatically detect vehicles entering in the wrong direction, activating two sets of red flashing wrong-way signs on the ramp. As a highly-visible additional indication to stop drivers from entering the wrong way, the first set of signs stands four feet high instead of the standard seven-foot sign height to more readily reach the lower eye level of sleepy or impaired drivers.
The Transportation Research Board reports an average of 360 deaths nationwide every year due to wrong-way driver crashes. In more than half of wrong-way crashes, wrong-way drivers are impaired by alcohol.
Between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2018, there were 135 wrong-way crashes in Nevada resulting in 22 fatalities. Nevada is one of a handful of state DOTs testing the wrong-way driver detection systems. Preliminary research shows that such systems are 80% effective in stopping wrong-way drivers.
For more information and for a list of safe driving tips, please click on the link below.
https://www.dot.nv.gov/safety/wrong-way-driver-system
The Responder Safety Learning Network has developed a video about the dangers and recommendations for working near active traffic during incident response. This video highlights a more recent term that has been used called the Zero Buffer Zone which is the area between the corner of the blocking vehicle and the lane of active traffic.
This was also highlighted during the February 2022 Colorado Talking TIM webinar about vehicle parking and working around the area of the Zero Buffer Zone during incident response.
To access this video, visit the Operating Near the Zero Buffer training webpage.
The Nevada State Police Highway Patrol, The Nevada Department of Transportation, the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, the tow truck industry and the Traffic Incident Management Coalition announced the “Move Over” campaign aimed at raising public awareness of this important issue.
Since 2003 Nevada law has required drivers to slow down, and if safe to do so, move over one lane when approaching any official emergency vehicle(s) pulled over on the side of the road with red and blue emergency lights flashing. In 2017, the move over law (NRS 484B.607) expanded to include Nevada Department of Transportation vehicles (including Freeway Service Patrol), construction vehicles and tow trucks stopped on the side of the road with flashing amber or non-flashing blue lights activated. All 50 States have enacted “Move Over” laws to protect first responders, emergency workers and other personnel working alongside our nation’s highways.
It is important to point out that there are many more incidents each year that cause serious injuries to emergency responders, including career-ending, disabling injuries. There are dozens more property damage incidents that destroy expensive emergency vehicles that must then be taken out of service, making them unavailable to meet the community’s needs. – The Emergency Responder Safety Institute’s 2019 Fatality Report
The below link is a press conference that was held on March 25, 2021 in southern Nevada.
https://www.facebook.com/FOX5Vegas/videos/451381776131080/
The below link is a press conference that was held on March 30, 2021 in northern Nevada.
hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd_W0j2uFVEttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd_W0j2uFVE
The Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program removes incidents from Nevada’s highways and restores normal travel operations as safely and quickly as possible.
NDOT, NSP, and multiple local agencies partner to:
Safe and quick clearance of traffic incidents.
Prompt reliable and interoperable communications.
Economic vitality by reducing delays.
Responder safety.
Secondary crashes.
In October of 2021, Parsons participated in the Nevada Traffic Safety Summit in Las Vegas. The event was hosted by Nevada Department of Transportation and Department of Public Safety. The Nevada Traffic Safety Summit gathers safety partners to share best practices to reach the ultimate goal of Zero Fatalities in Nevada. Each day we work to save lives on Nevada’s roadways, through collaboration, partnership, and an ongoing commitment to Zero Fatalities. The annual Nevada Traffic Safety Summit brings together safety professionals and Nevada’s first responders with representatives from Engineering, Enforcement, EMS and Education.