Nevada Sets Goal to Cut Road Deaths and Injuries by 35% Over Next Five Years

The Nevada Department of Transportation has released its 2026–2030 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a statewide, data-driven framework aimed at reducing fatal and serious injury crashes by 35% by 2035, with a long-term goal of zero fatalities by 2050.

From 2019 to 2023, Nevada recorded 1,606 roadway fatalities and 6,948 serious injuries. The plan uses that crash data to guide targeted countermeasures across urban, rural, and tribal roads and to broaden coordination among transportation agencies, law enforcement, public health officials, emergency responders, and community partners.

"Speed is a focus of this plan, and it's something that we haven't really talked about in the traffic safety community," said Lacey Tisler, the Chief Traffic Safety Engineer at the Nevada Department of Transportation. "And understanding the fact that speed impacts your risk of a crash, and it also impacts your risk of injury."

As part of its speed management efforts, NDOT is deploying dynamic message signs on Southern Nevada freeways to warn that speeds above 75, 80, and 85 mph correspond to roughly 76%, 129%, and 191% higher fatal risk, respectively. The plan also emphasizes how kinetic energy and rapid speed changes affect crash severity, and how predictability on the roadway reduces both crash likelihood and injury risk.

"The other one that I think is as important is really looking at some of these highways or these roadways, that are having communities coming up around them," said Tisler. "These roadways were initially built for cars because there was nobody walking on them. And as land use changes and as development occurs, we start seeing people needing to walk, needing to bike. We see kids needing to get to their friend's house. We see elderly individuals trying to get to the bus. So, it's the use that's changing and getting ahead of that building capacity."

The plan places particular focus on vulnerable road users — pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, scooter riders, and wheelchair users — and prioritizes improved lighting for both vehicles and pedestrians in higher-traffic locations, noting that visibility is essential for drivers to predict and react to potential hazards.

Progress will be tracked through five federally required Safety Performance Measures reported annually to the Federal Highway Administration: number of fatalities, number of serious injuries, fatality rate, serious injury rate, and number of non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries.

"The responsibility is shared. So that's all of us — as the DOT, our local road owners, our enforcement partners, our first responders, our decision makers, and everyone who uses the roadway," she said. "All of us. We all have a part to play, and we all can do better."