Why police say fatal crashes are trending in the wrong direction

2024 has already seen 10 fatal collisions in just 19 days in the year — and police want that trend to stop.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s traffic bureau warned drivers Friday that the number of fatal collisions was “trending upwards,” and encouraged drivers to slow down and pay attention to the road.

By Jan. 19, 2023, Metro had reported just six traffic-related fatalities in its jurisdiction. In total, Metro reported 156 traffic-related fatalities in 2023, and 153 fatalities in 2022.

Here is a breakdown of the 10 traffic-related fatalities reported so far this year:

— Six pedestrians have been killed in collisions. Of those six collisions, police said four of the pedestrians were crossing a street outside of a marked crosswalk before being struck by a vehicle.

— Three fatalities involved a motorcycle. Of the three crashes, police said two of the motorcycles involved in collisions were traveling at a high speed before the crash.

— In nine of the crashes, police said the driver did not show signs of impairment. In one crash, the driver left the scene before officers arrived and therefore did not take a field sobriety test.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill told the Review-Journal in an interview Wednesday that he wants to install speed and red-light cameras to improve traffic safety in Las Vegas. However, Nevada law prohibits those cameras without law enforcement present.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.