More than 60k pedestrians were injured in the US in 2021, with 7,388 deaths recorded. Nevada has one of the higher pedestrian death rates, with a fatality rate of 2.61 per 100,000 population.
Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents often result from risky behavior by road users. Key factors include speeding, distraction, and impairment. Excessive vehicle speeds reduce driver reaction time and lead to more severe impacts. Distracted driving and walking, especially due to mobile devices, impairs awareness and judgment. Impairment from alcohol or drugs also plays a major role. Poor lighting, limited visibility, and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure are other common factors.
Ultimately, the lack of compliance with traffic laws and inattention by all parties contributes significantly to collisions involving pedestrians. As a Pedestrian Injury Lawyer Summerlin NV knows, a multi-pronged approach addressing engineering, education, enforcement and policy is required to promote safer habits.
While accidents can’t always be avoided, especially in areas with a high number of bars and other entertainment establishments, Summerlin is taking a strong line to improve pedestrian safety.
The planned community of Summerlin is reportedly one of the safest places to live in Nevada, with plenty of trails, green spaces, and amenities. But accidents can and do happen. Just last week a pedestrian died after being struck by a car outside the Summerlin Casino. Sadly, these sorts of accidents are all too common.
Community leaders and organizations have implemented various initiatives to improve pedestrian safety across Summerlin.
Expanding Walkability
Summerlin was designed with walkability in mind, featuring pedestrian pathways that connect homes, shops, parks and schools. The Summerlin Master Association has continued expanding the community’s trail system to provide safe routes for walking and bicycling. As of 2017, Summerlin had over 150 miles of interconnected trails and sidewalks separate from vehicular traffic. Paths feature shade trees, benches, lighting, and accessibility features to create an inviting environment for pedestrians.
Regional Collaboration
Regional organizations have collaborated on improving conditions for pedestrians valley-wide. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) adopted a Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in 2017 to guide development of infrastructure and programs to make walking and biking safer. The plan calls for reducing vehicle speeds, enhancing crosswalk visibility, improving connectivity between pedestrian routes, and launching public education campaigns. RTC also conducts walkability audits to identify problem areas and solutions.
Enhanced Crossings
With wide arterial streets carrying heavy traffic volumes, enhancing crosswalk safety has been a priority. Key initiatives include installing pedestrian hybrid beacons, constructing median refuge islands, implementing leading pedestrian intervals at signals, and providing high-visibility continental crosswalk markings. Over 300 enhanced crossings have been implemented in Summerlin to improve visibility and safety for pedestrians.
School Zone Improvements
Keeping children safe on the walk to school is a major concern. Clark County School District Police have increased enforcement of speed limits and crosswalk laws in school zones. The Safe Routes to School program has funded sidewalks, signs, flashing beacons and bike racks around Summerlin schools. RTC’s School Safety Patrol Program trains students to monitor crossings and remind drivers to stop for pedestrians.
Traffic Calming
Some Summerlin streets have been redesigned to discourage speeding using traffic calming measures. These include speed humps, traffic circles, curb extensions, median islands, and lane narrowing. By slowing traffic, these modifications help prevent collisions and make road crossing easier. Summerlin has also implemented pedestrian scrambles, where all vehicular traffic is stopped so pedestrians can cross intersections simultaneously in every direction.
Education and Enforcement
Educating all road users on traffic laws and safe habits is another key strategy. The Ped Safe Nevada program offers pedestrian safety classes for people cited for violations, as well as free seminars and events to promote awareness. Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metro Police conducts targeted enforcement, issuing warnings and citations to drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians. Officers also monitor school zones and crosswalks to ticket violators.
New Technologies
Emerging technologies are being deployed to enhance pedestrian safety. Radar speed feedback signs show drivers their speed and prompt them to slow down. Pedestrian detection systems alert drivers when someone is crossing at mid-block locations. Bluetooth sensors track vehicle speeds and provide data to inform traffic calming decisions. And pedestrian crash avoidance systems can automatically brake vehicles to prevent collisions with people in crosswalks.
The Challenges Community Leaders Face When Implementing Pedestrian Safety Initiatives
Some potential challenges Summerlin faces in implementing pedestrian safety initiatives include:
- Funding – Infrastructure improvements, educational programs, and new technologies can be expensive to implement and maintain. Securing adequate funding through government budgets, grants, private sponsors, etc. can be difficult.
- Pushback – Some initiatives like traffic calming and speed limit reductions may face opposition from motorists concerned about effects on travel times. Overcoming this pushback requires outreach and education.
- Sprawl – As a large master-planned community, the spread out nature of Summerlin with wide arterial streets spanning long distances creates inherent pedestrian challenges. Retrofitting auto-centric infrastructure is difficult.
- Behavior Change – Education campaigns seek to change ingrained habits of both drivers and pedestrians when it comes to road safety. Achieving real behavioral changes can be a slow process requiring persistence.
- Inter-agency Coordination – With multiple public and private entities involved, coordination and getting everyone on the same page can be challenging logistically.
- Data Limitations – Having robust data on pedestrian volumes, problem locations, accident causes, etc. is key for planning but can be difficult to gather comprehensively.
- Enforcement Limitations – While police enforcement is important, it is limited in scope and duration so other measures are needed to achieve lasting improvements.
- Technological Limitations – While emerging technologies hold promise, some are still developing and have limitations in real-world conditions in terms of effectiveness, cost, etc.
Overcoming these kinds of challenges requires a comprehensive, sustained and well-coordinated effort using a combination of approaches tailored to the local context. A persistent commitment by the community is needed.
While certainly not without challenges, Summerlin continues striving to become a model for pedestrian-friendly development through infrastructure improvements, policy updates, education programs and new technologies. These initiatives are helping transform Summerlin into one of the safest communities for people walking in the Las Vegas region.
If you have been struck by a vehicle while walking in Summerlin, NV, you need to contact a Summerlin pedestrian accident attorney from Karns & Karns Personal Injury and Accident Attorneys. Call us today on 800-4THE-WIN (800-484-3946).
