Pedestrian Barriers Make Their Way to the Strip

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By
Madeleine Jones
January 17, 2018

pedestrian barriers on street, las vegas accident lawyerRecently, the first phase of pedestrian barriers was installed on the Las Vegas Strip to prevent motor vehicles from crashing into pedestrians. In 2017, Nevada saw the highest number of pedestrian deaths on record. Clark County officials assert that new barriers along the Strip will help prevent future pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

Pedestrian Injuries on the Las Vegas Strip

On January 1, 2018, Las Vegas completed phase one of installing pedestrians barriers to prevent accidents and injuries from motor vehicles. The first phase of the project included 800 steel posts along Las Vegas Boulevard between Tropicana Avenue and Spring Mountain Road. The steel posts will be equally spaced and secured to withstand a crash from a vehicle weighing up to 15,000 pounds. That’s equivalent to the weight of a 30-foot truck moving at speeds over 50 mph. The city has approved a phase-two plan for 7,500 additional barriers to be installed within the next year.

Over the past five years, pedestrian injuries in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada have increased at an alarming rate. According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, pedestrian fatalities in 2016 rose by 46 percent over fatalities in 2015. Between 2009 and 2013, more than 1,000 pedestrians were injured or killed by cars or trucks while crossing the street. If pedestrian deaths continue to rise at this rate, they will outpace deaths from influenza and pneumonia, prostate, breast and liver cancer, HIV, and homicide in Nevada.

Due to the vast number of tourists who visit Las Vegas each year, pedestrian accidents and injuries from motor vehicles occur frequently along the Las Vegas Strip. The most common accident sites include:

  • Crosswalks – Many drivers don’t see crosswalks or pedestrians in them until they get right up on them. Pedestrians are supposed to rely on crosswalk signals to cross at appropriate times, but many cross too early or too late. Pedestrians who jaywalk in unmarked crosswalks take a huge risk of injury and/or death.
  • Sidewalks – With thousands of visitors lining the sidewalks along the Las Vegas Strip each day, pedestrians are often hit by cars that jump the curbs. On sidewalks with no barrier protection, both adults and children are vulnerable to injuries and fatalities caused by intoxicated, distracted and drowsy drivers on the Strip.