The Fifth Annual #Dusk2DawnNV campaign kicked off Friday, November 3rd, at 10:30 am at Raider’s Stadium. The annual effort reminds all road users that as we head into fall and lose an hour of daylight, there is greater danger on roads due to lack of visibility.
This year’s message calls on all those walking and driving to “Be Road Safety Hero's” by following these two basic steps:
If you are on foot the “Do the Bright Thing” by carrying a light or have reflective material on your clothes so that drivers can see you.
Ask the question “Will You See Them in Time”? A simple reminder not to overdrive your headlights so you can see pedestrians before it is too late.
Both of these steps highlight the fact that 75 percent of pedestrian deaths occur from Dusk2Dawn.
We chose the home of the Raiders because Sunday’s game fell on the first day after the time change from daylight savings. This means that for the first time in the season, an estimated 20K fans who are on foot, would be arriving in daylight and leaving in the dark.
The morning press conference kicked off with remarks from our Road Safety Hero, Clark County Commissioner, Michael Naft. Commissioner Naft has tirelessly led efforts to bring meaningful changes to Clark County roads.
Commissioner Naft was joined by law enforcement representing three types of road users:
- Bret Ficklin of LVMPD discussed various city roads that every road user travels each day and offered a fresh perspective on the issues that occur from Dusk to Dawn
- Michael Campbell of CCSD Police presented important tips every parent and driver should know and teach their families about safe travel from Dusk to Dawn
- Major Kevin Honea of NV State Police provided valuable education to drivers on what to do if you find yourself an unexpected pedestrian on a freeway, especially Dusk to Dawn and why pedestrians are prohibited from purposefully using the freeway.
We also heard from Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada’s Regional Planning Director, Daniel Fazekas, who helms the Safe Streets for All project at the RTC. Daniel explained how this new project will bring improvements to all areas of southern Nevada through the bi-partisan infrastructure law.
Pedestrian fatalities in Clark County year-to-date are unofficially 64 lives lost, which unfortunately tops the 2019 total. This puts us ahead of 2020 and 2021 totals year-to-date. Most alarming is that there were ten pedestrian fatalities in Clark County last November. The highest total in the past 25 years in Clark County was 78, if we don’t stop the trend of the past two months, we will top that figure. The total number of pedestrians killed in Clark County in 2022 was 72.
This campaign highlights one of the largest contributing factors in pedestrian crashes, low light. All you need to do is drive city streets to know that visibility on many local roads is lacking intensity, or completely lacking, which was the reason behind the #Dusk2Dawn campaign.
Another aspect of the campaign, continuing through the end of the year is an opportunity to take the pledge to “Drive So That Others Survive”. This promotion will enter participants into a drawing for prizes, including a $500 Visa gift card, courtesy of Pro Care Hospice.
As in years past, partnering with the RTC and Outfront Media, buses will have messaging on the inside, aimed at those walking to and from the bus, and there is a separate message to drivers on bus shelters. The same art has been used for flyers which were printed courtesy of NDOT and will be distributed at the 156 locations of Terrible’s Convenience Stores throughout the state.
Terrible’s gas pump tops will also display the message to drivers that some valley speeds don’t allow their headlights to notify them in enough time when there is a person crossing the road. The message reminds them that overdriving their headlights can be deadly. This partnership with Terrible’s allows those traveling on foot and in automobiles to see this important message every time they visit.
The following partners are dedicated to the seriousness of this issue:
Clark County, City of Las Vegas, RTC of Southern Nevada, Outfront Media, the Las Vegas Raiders, First Friday Foundation, Terrible’s, Zero Fatalities Nevada, UMC Trauma, NDOT, LVMPD, CCSD Police, NV State Police, Pro Care Hospice, Absolute Dental and Jon McFarrin of Suite One Salon.
The Pledge to Drive So Others Survive promotion is also sponsored by "Stop Road Crashes", a newly formed advocacy group for improving road safety in Nevada. Members of the group will be introducing their organization on December 28, 2023 and are inviting interested parties to join them.