Editorial: Efforts to make pedestrian safety a high priority warranted

When a new worst-in-the-nation ranking is announced, somehow Nevada often finds itself near the top. We're encouraged that state and local representatives are serious about reversing that trend regarding pedestrian safety.

At a Carson City press conference Friday in the parking lot of Casino Fandango to promote a new pedestrian safety campaign, a Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman noted that Nevada has been one of the top 10 states for pedestrian fatalities during the past 14 years.

Traffic in Carson has steadily increased during the past decade, a probable factor in a sobering statistic from the Nevada Department of Public Safety: Since 1999, there have been 11 pedestrian fatalities in the city.

After recording no pedestrian deaths in 2007 or 2008, two people have been killed while crossing Carson streets since March.

Bolstered with funding from the Joining Forces Campaign administered by the Office of Traffic Safety, extra Carson City Sheriff's deputies will be patrolling to target both drivers and pedestrians who fail to observe traffic law.

Mayor Bob Crowell also announced a new traffic signal, aimed at providing a safer commute along South Carson Street, will be installed between Clearview Drive and Koontz Lane. The Nevada Department of Transportation, Casino Fandango (one of this year's fatalities occurred in front of the casino) and Carson City Public Works will fund the traffic light.

The noteworthy collaboration of government and private business will only go so far, though. Motorists along city streets, especially along the Highways 395 and 50 corridors through town, must obey posted speed limits and take extra caution. Pedestrians must make responsible decisions as well. According to the department of safety, half of the local fatalities in the last decade involved alcohol.

Some "rules of the road" we published last week from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety are worth repeating:

• At any intersection the pedestrian has the right-of-way whether a crosswalk is marked or not.

• Pedestrians have the right-of-way in all marked crosswalks. If a driver hits a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk, the driver will likely be at fault.

• If a vehicle is stopped in the road, it is illegal to pass it before slowing down enough to determine why the vehicle is stopped.

• When a driver is at a light and waiting to turn right, the driver must allow a pedestrian to completely cross the intersection before turning.