Seat belts were once simple straps that mainly served to avoid being tossed from automobiles on bumpy roads. Even then, most drivers and passengers didn’t bother with them.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s top cop said he’s tired of his officers having to deal with “broken and mangled” bodies on Las Vegas Valley roads, the result of fatal crashes caused by bad driving.

A rise in traffic fatalities is raising concerns among the community as Las Vegas Metropolitan Police report 111 deaths so far in 2024. That number is getting closer to the nearly 160 people reported dying in collisions in 2023.

 A 16-year-old is accused of driving without a license while also carrying an 11-year-old passenger when the car hit another vehicle, killing two men according to Las Vegas Police. “Any time you have a situation where you have speed on one vehicle and low speed on the other vehicle, we see the people in the low-speed vehicle being the ones who lose their lives,” Erin Breen, the director of the Road Equity Alliance Project at UNLV said.

The Clark County Commission voted Tuesday to expand the range personal delivery robots at UNLV may operate in to include nearby public sidewalks. The white pod robots from Starship Technologies and Grubhub may now deliver food from on-campus establishments to students living in nearby off-campus housing. The robots were previously restricted to university property.

Clark County experienced fewer road deaths during the “100 Deadliest Days of the Year” than previous years, according to road safety advocates. The “100 Deadliest Days” lasts from Memorial Day on May. 27, until Labor Day on Sept. 2. The Road Equity Alliance Project announced that 45 lives were lost in crashes during 2024, marking a significant decrease from the 61 deaths documented in 2023.

Clark County commissioners unanimously voted to expand UNLV's automated food delivery services to extend beyond campus. While the service is convenient, many safety advocates brought up concerns with what the technology could bring to the neighboring campus community.

The last 24 hours have seen several deadly crashes in the Valley. At least one is being investigated as a DUI. As Labor Day approaches, our highways will see some congestion as southern Nevadans hit the road. Safety advocate Erin Breen says,"Three-day weekends are always a problem because people have a party mentality."

An intersection in central Las Vegas came to the attention of the News 3 team due to the lack of a crosswalk. The intersection is at the corner of Naples and Paradise, an area home to trendy bars and lots of pedestrian traffic.

Tourism and gaming are the largest economic powerhouses in Las Vegas, bringing in the most money for the regional economy. According to data from the American Gaming Association, the casinos industry’s economic impact in Nevada in 2023 totaled $59.4 billion, and the industry was responsible for supporting more than 330,000 jobs. These figures highlight how important tourism is to the Las Vegas economy. Even though this sounds good in hindsight, the overdependence on tourism creates a challenge for the overall health of the Southern Nevada economy when gaming revenues falter.

A new bridge will be opening to provide safe passage for students crossing the road to and from school in the Mountain's Edge community. Students, parents, advocates, and more members of the community will be convening at Tenaya Paseo Bridge on Friday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. to discuss this safer travel path for pedestrians and students this upcoming school year.

What will it take for drivers in Clark County and throughout the state to drive more carefully? Even rising death rates don’t seem to be making the case.