Group calls for tougher seat belt law in Nevada

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 | 12:43 p.m.

CARSON CITY -- Tougher traffic safety laws would reduce highway deaths and accidents, according to a report by a national auto safety group.

The report by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said the cost of fatalities and injuries in 2010, which saw 257 persons killed on Nevada roadways, was $1.87 billion.

"Nevada is advancing but has numerous gaps in its highway safety laws," the group said. The state has enacted nine of the 15 laws recommended by the organization and is in 26th place in the state's ratings.

The report is based on 2010. But Nevada's highway death toll dropped to 243 in 2011 and the state Transportation Department says it is stepping up its efforts to reduce it even further.

Chuck Reider, safety chief of the transportation department, said the goal is to cut traffic deaths in half in five years. "It‚s no longer acceptable to have anybody killed on the highway," he told the state Transportation Board on Monday.

One positive note, Reider said, was the 33 fewer fatalities in Clark County in 2011 than in 2010.

Jacqueline Gillan, president of the Advocates, said some of these deaths and the more than 2 million injured "can be prevented by passing effective traffic safety law that both prevent and mitigate cost burdens."

The advocates suggest Nevada pass a primary safety belt law. Law enforcement officers can only cite a motorist for not wearing a seat belt if the individual is stopped for another offense. That law would allow the officer to stop and cite the driver if he or she was not wearing a seat belt.

Also suggested is for the Nevada Legislature to pass an interlock law: A breath alcohol ignition interlock device is installed to prevent a motorist from starting his vehicle if his breath registers an alcohol level above a certain point. This would be required for those cited for such things as alcohol violations.

The advocates say however that Nevada is one of 26 states that require blood testing of drivers in fatal accidents. And it requires motorcycle riders to wear helmets.

The group also suggested states adopt laws prohibiting use of cell phones while driving. Nevada approved that law and enforcement went into effect Jan. 1. Chuck Allen of the Nevada Highway Patrol said there have been at least two dozen citations issued in the first week.

The Advocates are suggesting Nevada adopt a law that prohibits a person from getting a learner permit until he or she is 16 years old. It also proposed that teen motorists not be allowed to drive at night from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. unless there is adult supervision.

The organization also says Nevada should limit the number of teens that can be in a vehicle driven by a teenager without adult supervision.