Fatal traffic crashes take a big leap in Clark County in 2024

Thirty-two more people have died in crashes on Clark County roadways this year compared with the same time 2023 — or about a 65 percent increase, Nevada officials announced Friday.

The 97 fatalities statewide represent a nearly 40 percent increase from the same period one year earlier, the Nevada Department of Public Safety wrote in a report.

A total of 70 crashes in Clark County have resulted in 81 deaths, the report said.

Law enforcement have stressed that an overwhelming majority of deaths have been avoidable.

In fact, 12 motorists killed in Nevada were not wearing seat belts, and 37 pedestrians succumbed to crash injuries, said the report, noting that speeding and impairment are top contributors.

Late last month, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill sounded the alarm about the deadly trend.

“We’re just frankly really tired of scraping people up off the streets here in Las Vegas,” he said in a Nevada Public Radio appearance.

The sheriff added that he had directed his officer to focus on traffic violations, which resulted in more than a 200 percent increase in issued traffic citations.

“We haven’t seen a corresponding decrease in the number of fatality accidents,” McMahill told the radio program.

Each of the first three months of the year has seen increases of fatalities compared with 2023, according to the report.

In January, about half of the 31 traffic fatalities reported in Clark County were of pedestrians, according to data compiled by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Only three of those victims were on a designated crosswalk at the time of impact.

The 33 pedestrians killed in Clark County so far this year represents a 94 percent increase compared with 2023, the report said.

Another victim was fighting for their life following a hit-and-run crash in Summerlin Friday afternoon, according to Las Vegas police.

In Nevada, the second most traffic-related fatalities reported through Friday afternoon had occurred in Washoe County, which reported six deaths, or two fewer compared to 2023, the report said.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.