Lyon County Sheriff Al McNeil says U.S. 50, between Moundhouse and Silver Springs, is getting more dangerous for drivers and feral horses. While some areas of the road have fencing to keep mustangs off the highway, McNeil says many wide stretches still need it.
"This is not a rural highway anymore," McNeil said. "We need the state to step up and do something and get this road fenced. When you have a lot of horses with no barrier to keep off the state highways, it's a danger to everyone involved."
26 crashes involving horses were reported along that length of highway in 2017, including one that killed the driver. McNeil says many other incidents go unreported.
"We also estimate between 10 and 15 more horses were clipped by cars by us finding carcasses or dead horses on the side of the roadway," McNeil said.
About 20,000 cars travel on that road every day, and the number of horse deaths is rising dramatically. McNeil says 33 horses were killed on the highway between 2007 and 2011.
As you drive through Dayton, it is easy to spot the wild horses that wander along the side of the road. McNeil says even that is a hazard and another reason to build more fencing.
"A quad rider or somebody up top spooks them and they bolt down into the street," McNeil said. "They don't understand that it's dangerous to cross a state highway."
On January 16, a Lyon County deputy crashed into three horses. The dash cam shows how dark it was, making it very difficult to see the animals.
"He's got less than two seconds reaction time by the time that even the camera picks up that those horses are there," McNeil said. "From a sheriff's standpoint, I am surprised that our own people haven't hit one sooner than it did."
In fact, McNeil says an ambulance hit a horse in 2015. He says as the amount of horse-related crashes go up, so does the urgency to improve safety.
"What is it really going to take before we finally get serious about this?" McNeil said. "Everybody wants to see the horses. I love to see the horses, but I want to see them from a distance on the other side of a barrier from a state highway."
The Nevada Department of Transportation says it will add more fencing from Stagecoach to USA Parkway when it begins a widening project next fall. It also installed wildlife underpasses east of Dayton in 2013. Â
"There's been a lot of collisions between horses and vehicles and people," Governor Brian Sandoval said. "We want to make sure that people are safe and obviously, I want to ensure that the horses are treated humanely."
Deborah LaCour's home is on the edge of her Dayton neighborhood. She says wild horses walk right up to her backyard, and even onto her front porch.
"We love it. How many people can say we have horses in our backyard, horses that walk down our street?" LaCour said.
She even names the horses, including the three that died last week.
"It's Alfred, Sock Jr. and Borris," LaCour said. "It's just sad, you know. Especially at night. You can't see them. It's dark."
LaCour says better lighting along the highway could help, saying many cross the road to get to the Carson River for water. Still, McNeil says the best way to keep people and horses safe is to keep the animals off the road.
"They're beautiful animals that we love to see but we've got to keep them safe," McNeil said.
