LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A crash involving a suspected impaired driver that caused hundreds to lose power Tuesday morning was the latest in a string of similar incidents that have taken place in the Valley over the last week.
Three crashes, two of them deadly, took place in 12 hours over the weekend. The multitude of incidents are ones that officials and legislators have been actively working to prevent.
Assembly Bill 4, otherwise known as the Nevada Safe Streets and Neighborhoods Act, was passed during November's legislative session. The bill, among other things, increases penalties for those driving under the influence.
Locals like Jeff Payne, the founder and CEO of Driver's Edge, are also working to prevent tragedies on our roads through education.
WATCH | Anyssa Bohanan spoke with Jeff Payne to learn more about his mentality in teaching the next generation of drivers:
Over the weekend, Driver's Edge had more than 700 parents and young teens attend their three-day safety event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The organization teaches teenage drivers defensive driving techniques, putting them behind the wheel with real, professional drivers to prepare them for real-life hazards on the road.
Payne says that awareness could prevent most of the tragic incidents we see on our roads.
"Car crashes are by far the number one killer of, not just Nevada's youth, but America's youth as well," Payne said. "If everyone just had that 'What if?' mentality, that would be huge. If you're driving down the road, just 'what if this car makes a left-hand turn in front of me? What if this person steps off the curb? What if this person slams on the brakes?', a lot of these incidents could be avoided. But you just can't take driving for granted because in the blink of an eye, anything can happen."
And with the passage of Assembly Bill 4, young drivers like the ones being educated through Driver's Edge could be impacted at the DMV. Online driver's education platform Zutobi says that, since the bill was passed, Nevada could see more DUI related topics on learner's permit tests.
The DMV says that, though there aren't currently any DUI-specific changes on those tests, they do continually update the driver's handbook to include new information when bills like Assembly Bill 4 are passed, and those could translate to new permit test questions.
Payne says that Driver's Edge will be holding another safety event on April 10-12. You can find more information on their website here.
