PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing U.S. cities with an annual growth rate of over 3.5 percent. Clark County's population is approximately 1,000,000 residents residing in a span of 7,554 square miles. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) has jurisdiction over 75 percent of the county's residents. Clark County experiences roughly two-thirds of the state's traffic crashes and over half of the fatal crashes. With the expanding population, large number of tourists, and increasing number of traffic crashes, the LVMPD is hard pressed to maintain adequate coverage. In addition, the LVMPD suffers from budgetary constraints preventing it from training officers sufficiently in Nevada traffic safety statutory regulations.

Two major areas of concern for Clark County were speed and failure-to-yield violations. Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) figures for 1993 showed speed played a factor in 23.61 percent of Clark County crashes, and failure to yield accounted for 32.87 percent. Together, these infractions were responsible for 56.48 percent of the total crashes.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of the program was to reduce the incidence of speeding and increase seat belt use within Las Vegas' city limits. Specifically, speed-related crashes were predicted to decrease by 10 percent, while traffic citations would increase by 10 percent.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Strategies for the program included:

• Procuring eight Vindicator VH1 hand-held radar units
• Conducting a minimum of 10 seat belt saturation and speed enforcement checks
• Ensuring accuracy of posted speed limits by checking the basis for such limits using the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
• Conducting Occupant Protection Usage and Enforcement (OPUE) training for officers
• Purchasing or developing materials for public education related to seat belt use and speeding.

RESULTS

Federal grant funds allowed the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) to procure eight radar guns and fund officer overtime for speed and failure-to-yield enforcement and seat belt checks. This project was completed on schedule and under budget.

• Authorized equipment was procured and put into service.
• The LVMPD participated in Project Safe Baby, sponsored by Midas.
• The LVMPD participated in Baby Fair '95, sponsored by Burlington.
• Two speed-enforcement strikes were conducted, resulting in the issue of 450 citations: 326 for speeding, 50 for seat belt violations, and 74 for miscellaneous violations.
• One safety checkpoint resulted in 113 citations issued and two DUI arrests.
• Due to a reorganization of the Traffic Bureau, a leveling of traffic citations issued occurred at the midpoint of the grant; however, traffic citations increased between 10 and 15 percent during the latter part of the grant, with a 30 percent increase in August 1995 over August 1994.