Increased patrols in Mound House

In response to four serious accidents in the past three months, the Nevada Highway Patrol will step up patrols in Mound House on Highway 50 East.

Trooper Matt Kaplan said Tuesday that at least one trooper will be on patrol between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the corridor between Deer Run Road and Dayton. The increased patrols begin Monday and will run for two weeks.

"At most times, expect to see several troopers patrolling," he said.

He said the purpose of the increased patrols is to compile statistics, which will include number of traffic stops, speeding citations, hazardous moving citations, and DUI arrests.

"What we want to see in the end as a result of our efforts is a difference in behavior for the drivers going through that area," he said. "Hopefully we can make it a safer place."

On June 18, two people were killed in a fiery collision near the V&T Railway bridge. On July 21 four people - including a 21-year-old Dayton woman subsequently arrested on suspicion of drunken driving - were seriously injured in an head-on collision at the top of Dayton Hill. On Aug. 18 a Silver City man died following a minor collision near Highlands Drive.

The latest accident, on Friday, claimed the life of a Dayton man who crossed over the center lane and struck an eastbound vehicle head-on.