Wreckage from a multi-car collision in August 2018 involving an impaired driver. An 8-year-old child was killed in the crash. (Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)
The number of marijuana-related traffic fatalities in Nevada dropped last year, the first full year of legal recreational sales in the state. Alcohol-related traffic deaths were also down. But fatal accidents involving a mixture of substances increased.
A report released Monday from the Department of Public Safety says statewide fatalities involving cannabis decreased from 36 in 2017 to 27 in 2018. Alcohol-related fatalities statewide dropped from 46 to 38.
But vehicle fatalities involving other drugs increased from 12 in 2017 to 18 in 2018, while fatalities involving a mixture of substances increased from 75 to 101.
Andrew Bennett, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, says the 2018 figures may change as new reports are filed.
So far in 2019, 125 people have died in Nevada as the result of vehicle accidents, compared with 162 for the first six months of 2018.
So far this year, pedestrian deaths are up 18 percent statewide. Deaths involving unrestrained occupants are down 48 percent.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Related News
