LAS VEGAS -- Nearly a quarter of the 32,367 people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2011 died at intersections.
In an effort to make the roadways safer, Henderson Police Department's Traffic officers will be targeting intersections looking for accident-causing traffic violations and joined by other area officers for the enforcement effort.
Traffic officers are targeting drivers running red lights, following too closely, making unsafe lane changes, failing to yield to pedestrians and distracted driving.
North Las Vegas' fatal detail was out once again when a driver of a moped was hurt when he hit the curb. Henderson Police said despite the year other valley agencies are having, no one has died in their jurisdiction.
Sergeant John Gayer said Henderson Police want to keep the trend going and are stepping up patrols in the city's most dangerous intersections.
"We really want people to be aware of what's going on not only in their car but around their car, so were clamping down on distracted driving and getting people to slow down," Gayer said. "We're seeing people running red lights and cell phone use, distracted driving."
Eastern Avenue and Serene Avenue are one of the intersections being targeted by traffic patrol officers.
In 2011, the deaths of 32,367 people occurred in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States, with 6,758 of those deaths in crashes that occurred at intersections, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In 2012, motor vehicle crashes killed 258 people on Nevada roadways. Alcohol was a contributing factor in 42 of those deaths, according to the Nevada Department of Public Safety - Office of Traffic Safety. In Nevada, 58 pedestrians died in traffic crashes in 2012. Of the fatal pedestrian traffic crashes in the state last year, 42 occurred in Clark County with five of those occurring in Henderson.
The Henderson Police Traffic Unit received funding from the Department of Public Safety - Office of Traffic Safety, as part of the Joining Forces Grant. The grant provides funding for enforcement and education to reduce deaths and injuries on Nevada roadways.
