Nevada gets $5.5 million traffic safety grant

Nevada's Office of Traffic Safety has been awarded a $5.5 million federal grant to try to reduce injury and fatality rates in the state.

Chuck Abbott, who heads the office, said 373 people were killed on Nevada highways last year. He said the Centers for Disease Control reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people from age 4 through 34.

He said car manufacturers and transportation engineers are making both vehicles and roadways safer.

"The fact is, the majority of crashes are the result of driver error," he said.

Abbott said the grant money will be used to increase public education and for "high visibility programs aimed at changing driver behavior."

That means tougher enforcement.

He said the office put more than $2 million into high visibility enforcement over the past two years and saw a 14 percent reduction in fatalities over that period.

Abbott said the keys to safer driving are to wear a safety belt, slow down and not drive while impaired.