LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas Metro Police (LVMPD) Sheriff Kevin McMahill has made substantially decreasing traffic deaths a major priority for his department, and a week ago, Metro announced increased enforcement at 12 of the most dangerous intersections across the Las Vegas valley to try and prevent more people from dying on our roads.
One of those intersections is Rainbow and Flamingo in Spring Valley, where I last reported from in early May, telling you that it topped the list of intersections with the most crashes year to date at the time.
WATCH | Metro Police list intersections with most crashes through May 2025
"You definitely have to be defensive and pay attention at all times," Jennifer Hoggan said. "It's kind of like a speedway."
Hoggan lives in Spring Valley and told me she's not surprised that Rainbow and Flamingo are one of the most dangerous intersections in town.
VIDEO: Guy Tannenbaum reports the latest on the most dangerous intersections in Las Vegas
"I've witnessed a couple of car accidents, I've been one car behind," Hoggan said. "It's absolutely terrifying with the way people tailgate, follow far too close, weave in and out and don't pay attention to pedestrians. I see it all too often."
It's one of a dozen intersections across town where officers are stepping up their traffic enforcement, in no particular order, according to Metro Police:
- Charleston Boulevard & Decatur Boulevard
- Flamingo Road & Rainbow Road
- Charleston Boulevard & Hualapai Way
- Blue Diamond Road & Arville Street
- Tropicana Avenue & Decatur Boulevard
- Flamingo Road & Arville Street
- Boulder Highway between Sahara Avenue & Karen Avenue
- Flamingo Road & Pecos Road
- Flamingo Road & Maryland Parkway
- Las Vegas Boulevard & Cheyenne Avenue
- Washington Avenue & Nellis Boulevard
- Las Vegas Boulevard & Cashman Center
I put those intersections on a map, and you can see that they're located at all corners of the valley, but something I noticed is that Flamingo had four of the 12—two on the east side and two towards the west.
"It's really sad to say nothing surprises me—you could tell me any intersection anywhere was the worst to drive, and I'd believe it," Gregory Zakwin said.
I caught up with Gregory Zakwin near another intersection on the list: Charleston and Hualapai.
"What I don't understand is why people drive like their life depends on making every single light, I don't get it," Zakin said. "It's so dangerous for no reason, truly for no reason."
So, what does "stepped up enforcement" mean?
Metro says officers will be going out on multiple days of the week across all different shifts at these 12 intersections, focusing on cracking down on the top three causes for deadly crashes: speed, failure to yield and impairment—whether that's alcohol or drugs.
Drivers I spoke with on Tuesday tell me they're grateful for anything officers can do to help make our roads a little safer.
"I hope that it's a good thing, that we get some people to slow down around here," Hoggan said. "And yes, seeing police presence actually makes me feel a lot better."
"I would love it, truly," Zakwin said. "Because I really would like to make it to tomorrow, and the next day and the next day, and running an errand to the grocery store should not be unsafe."
Even though they announced the new enforcement plan a week ago, Metro tells me officers have actually been at it since early August.
I asked an LVMPD spokesperson for some updated stats and information about the stepped up traffic enforcement program to see how it's going, and they told me they're currently working on that request.
When that data comes in, this article will be updated.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about traffic or road construction in your neighborhood, feel free to reach out to me by sending me an email at Guy.Tannenbaum@ktnv.com.