Metro police work to lower number of fatalities on Las Vegas valley roads

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Metro police are working hard to reverse course on a deadly statistic. As the end of the year nears, the number of fatalities on valley roads is higher than the same time last year.

As of Tuesday, Metro police recorded 138 fatalities in its jurisdiction. There were 131 last year at this time and officers are hoping monthly saturation stings help.

Within four hours on Friday morning at the intersection of Buffalo and Vegas drives in the northwest valley, four Metro officers made 32 stops and issued 37 tickets.

"What we need from the public is to slow down, pay attention," Lt. Tony Cavaricci with Metro's Traffic Bureau said.

Police saturated the intersection to impress upon drivers the significance of getting behind the wheel.

"I think sometimes they have this, it's not going to be me mentality. But you cannot have that when you're operating a vehicle which is essentially a thousand pound, couple thousand-pound weapon," Cavaricci said.

He said officers are doing all they can, yet, three lives were lost over the weekend, including two children.

"We can't afford to keep having these fatalities on our roadways. It's sickening that we've lost so many lives this year," he added.

Cavaricci said he's hopeful the statistics can change, but he said it'll take every driver and pedestrian to pay attention.

"If we can trend down and end the year lower than the previous year, then that's a success. That's another couple people who are going to be home with their families for the holidays," Cavaricci said.

Cavaricci also wanted to remind pedestrians with the time change, it's harder for drivers to see them. He suggested wearing reflective clothing if possible, and not dark colors and crossing the street in well-lit areas.