Already this year, 85 people have been killed in traffic accidents in our area. Metro says the number one cause of those crashes is running red lights or stop signs. Today, local and state agencies unveiled a new campaign aimed at discouraging common bad driving habits. The ads feature Mike Jones. He was arrested for a DUI a couple of years ago and is now trying to make our roads safer.
"I was just one person with this belief, 'I won't get caught. It won't happen to me.' But Mike Jones did get caught after driving home from a bar in 2002. Now he prays that everyone who drinks and drives gets caught. "The person that's a casual drinker, they're thinking they are not going to get caught. The alcoholic is thinking they are not going to get caught, so I just know that they are all going to get caught."
Jones isn't just praying. He's also trying to educate. He helped make public service announcements for the city, telling his story to hopefully influence others not to drink and drive. "There were times I would be driving home and I would have no idea how I got home the next morning."
20 percent of all fatal crashes in southern Nevada are DUI related. "We have people who are arrogant out there while they are driving, they are reckless." Sergeant Tracy McDonald says DUI's are not the only reason there've so many traffic fatalities this year. "If they had decided not to drink and drive, to wear their seat belts, if they didn't run a red light or they didn't become distracted while they were driving they would be alive today."
With this campaign and aggressive enforcement from Nevada Highway Patrol, North Las Vegas, Metro and Henderson Police Departments, bad drivers may want to think twice about the way they drive. "We are just seeing people doing things they shouldn't be doing and unfortunately they become accustomed to driving that way in Las Vegas."
With the holiday weekend fast approaching, Metro is also going to do a couple of special enforcement projects. Sergeant McDonald says the enforcement could help cut down on the number of accidents and drunk drivers police see over three day weekends.
