AASHTO Journal - Nevada DOT Holds its First Rural Traffic Safety Summit

In mid-July, the Nevada Department of Transportation held its very first rural traffic safety summit, gathering local law enforcement agencies, first responders, and public safety partners together to address a variety of roadway travel issues, from excessive speeding to impaired driving.

[Above image by Nevada DOT]

In a video of that one-day event, Nevada DOT officials noted that agency uses a “Safe Systems” approach to reduce fatal and serious injury roadway crashes and used this first-time rural event to share its best practices regarding that approach with its rural partners.

The Nevada DOT also noted at the event that while only 6 percent of the state’s population lives in rural areas, some 28 percent of fatal and serious injury crashes happen in the state’s rural areas.

The agency also received an honorable mention as part of the 2023 National Roadway Safety Awards contest for developing Nevada’s very first Speed Management Action Plan to identify ways to slow down drivers through improved road design, more visible law enforcement and public education.

The biennial National Roadway Safety Awards program – presented by the Federal Highway Administration and the Roadway Safety Foundation since 1999 – honors initiatives and infrastructure projects aimed at reducing highway injuries and fatalities as well as improving roadway safety at the state and local level.