Researchers at UNLV's medical school are looking at crash and injury data from over a decade. They've discovered some eye-opening trends in an effort to prevent traffic-related injuries in Nevada.

According to UNLV's research, the top three driving trends are running red lights, speeding, and distracted driving.

A captain of the Nevada State Police talked about the consequences these trends could lead to.

Tony Roth, Nevada State Police captain, says, "In 2022, we had 396 fatalities and that was a three percent increase from the previous year in 2021. So far to date we've had 39 fatalities statewide."

Captain Roth says that just because there's a speed limit, doesn't mean you can drive that speed during poor road conditions. Driving too fast during a storm can cause cars to lose traction and cause a crash.

He also reminds drivers that when you see a yellow light, that means slow down, not speed up to beat a red light. Saving an extra twenty seconds of driving is not worth risking your life. The same goes for checking your phone or other forms of distracted driving.

"So what people have to remember is every time you take the wheel, you're sharing the roadways with other people. So, it's all of our responsibilities to slow down, not follow too closely, don't drive impaired, wear your seatbelt, and take time to get there. plan your trip, "says Roth.

You can check out UNLV's vehicle trauma study below:

 Eye Opening Trends Discovered in Effort to Prevent Traffic-Related Injuries in Nevada

Failure to obey traffic signals: In 2020, an estimated 115,741 people were injured and 928 were killed in crashes involving red-light running in the United States. Over half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicle passengers. Drivers are more likely to be male, younger, and have prior crashes or alcohol-impaired driving convictions. 32% of Nevada’s fatalities were associated with red-light running.

Speeding: 52% of traffic citations in Nevada were speed related. Additionally, 34% of those were for driving over the state’s maximum speed limit of 80 MPH. In 2019 alone, speeding was associated with almost 9,500 deaths in the United States. During COVID-19 lockdowns, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows drivers were ticketed more often for extreme speeding.  

Distracted driving:  Distracted driving was associated with approximately 3,000 deaths and an additional 400,000 injuries during 2019 in the U.S.  According to the NHTSA, nine-percent of drivers in the 15 to 20 age group involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the crash. In Nevada, five-percent of all traffic citations were for distracted driving, which includes handheld cellphones, drivers illegally viewing a TV receiver, and inattentive driving.Â