Metro Police Officer Andrea Simon on patrol on Las Vegas Valley roads during her Friday, Dec. 29, 2017, graveyard shift.
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020 | 2 a.m.
With bars reopening and locals gathering across town to cheer for the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, authorities don’t want impaired driving incidents to mar the historic day.
That’s why commuters should expect increased officer presence on valley roads, where they will be targeting drunk and high drivers, said Andrew Bennett, public information officer for Nevada’s Office of Traffic Safety.
Bennett says his office has noticed an 8% to 13% increase in DUI arrests when there are big sporting events in town — and the Raiders' home debut is no exception.
“We want people to enjoy the festivities, enjoy the historic moment, but to do it safely,” Bennett said.
Allegiant Stadium, which the Raiders are inaugurating against the New Orleans Saints, is not allowing fans inside due to the pandemic. But that won't stop fans from hosting watch parties or visiting bars, which will reopen Monday after COVID-19 mitigation efforts had shut them down.
This opens the possibility for impaired driving on valley roads that have seen a 30% increase in arrests by the DUI Strike Team so far in 2020, despite weekslong traffic desolation when the pandemic shut down Nevada in the spring.
The DUI Strike Team — which comprises nine Metro Police officers and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers — made 955 arrests by this mid-September, compared with 737 during the same period in 2019, Bennett said.
The law enforcement team has only grown by one officer, leading Bennett to conclude that there’s just an increase in impaired driving in the valley.
At least 189 people have died on Nevada roads this year, representing a 4% uptick from last year. A total of 54 victims were pedestrians, and another 45 weren’t wearing seat belts, according to state statistics. Most of the fatalities were logged in Clark County.
The strike team’s efforts throughout the NFL season will be similar to events such as the Electric Daisy Carnival, which yearly attracts hundreds of thousands of electronic music fans, Bennett said.
Designating a sober driver means someone who hasn’t had any alcohol, not the least drunk, said Bennett, who also recommended tipsy would-be motorists ride-share or take a cab or public transportation home.
“We want people to enjoy themselves,” Bennett said. “We live in the greatest city in the world … we just want to make sure we get people home safely.”
