Las Vegas continues to be a magnet, drawing over 40 million visitors from all corners of the country and the globe. In addition to our famed casinos, Las Vegas offers world-class entertainment in the form of concerts and professional sports. Millions more visit the city each year for business, whether to close deals or attend one of the many conventions held in the city.
With so many people streaming in and out of town, is it any wonder that many transportation accidents occur on our roads? If you’ve visited Las Vegas and been involved in an accident, please reach out to our law firm for assistance with obtaining a settlement: 702-252-0055.
How People Arrive in Las Vegas
Based on visitor profile statistics, about 46% of visitors arrive in Las Vegas by airplane, with the remainder coming on ground transportation, such as bus or car. The percentage flying has increased slightly over previous years, when around 42% of people arrived by air.
Getting Around the City
Once safely inside Las Vegas, how do people get around? There are many transportation options, but each one carries its own risks.
Personal Vehicle
About half of visitors will use their own cars to travel around. This makes perfect sense if the visitor drove themselves to the city, since it would cost money to store the vehicle in a parking garage. However, driving your own car carries risks, including the chances that you are involved in a collision. If so, a driver could be negligent for injuring other people and causing property damage.
Rental Cars
About 14% of visitors to Las Vegas will use a rental car while here. This is a great option for those who fly in. Renting a car carries some risks, though, including the fact that you are on the hook for any injuries you cause. Chances are the rental car company can avoid legal liability and your own insurance probably does not cover a rental vehicle. This means that those who cause accidents could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars to those that they hit.
Taxis
Another 29% of visitors will take a taxi. This is a great option, allowing visitors to enjoy the sights of Las Vegas without needing to focus on driving. If a taxi driver gets into a collision, the passengers are not legally liable. Instead, the taxi company and other drivers will have to work out their disputes.
Interestingly, around 19% of visitors use a ridesharing service, like Lyft or Uber, and this number will probably continue to grow. In fact, it increased by about 50% from just the year before. Ridesharing passengers are like taxi passengers during a crash—they are not liable, the driver (or ridesharing company) is responsible for paying compensation.
Other
Las Vegas has many transportation options for visitors. Around 13% reported taking a bus and 11% will take the Monorail. Another 2% reported using a limousine—and we can’t blame them. Who hasn’t dreamed of traveling down Vegas in the back of a giant limo?
Buses and monorail are very safe methods of traveling. The Monorail performs comprehensive safety checks every day and has a heightened security presence, including the use of K9 units. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada also runs buses that carry about 66 million passengers a year in the Las Vegas valley.
Transportation Deaths
Like other states, Nevada sees its fair share of traffic accidents, the worst of which can lead to serious injuries and even death. Vehicle deaths in Las Vegas have many causes, including:
- Distracted driving. Visitors are less familiar with our roads and can easily get distracted with the crowds and bright nighttime lights.
- Smart phone use. When a visitor should be focused on driving safely, too many are looking around and trying to document their holiday with their smart phone. Visitors can also start sending text messages or posting on
- social media accounts, which increases distraction.
- Drug or alcohol use. Las Vegas is not a dry city—just in case you were wondering. Having a drink is a wonderful way to relax in the evening. But getting behind the wheel of a vehicle when you are intoxicated is not.
- Congestion. Too many vehicles on the road increase the odds of an accident. It is very easy to get into a fender-bender, especially when many of the drivers are new to the city.
With all of this traffic, it is surprising that Nevada’s traffic fatality statistics are not terribly high:
- Number of vehicle miles traveled: over 27 billion
- Number of fatal crashes: 290
- Number of deaths: 309
- Deaths per 100,000: 10.3
- Deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled: 1.11
For the sake of comparison, another popular destination (Florida) saw over 2,900 fatalities in 2017, which worked out to 14.8 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.44 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. In other words, a little bit higher than Nevada’s numbers.
Conversely, another popular state, California, had a lower fatality rate than Nevada: 3,602 fatalities which worked out to 9.1 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.02 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Nevada’s numbers seem in line with what we can expect given the number of visitors to Las Vegas. Nevertheless, there is certainly room for improvement.
Speak with a Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve visited the city and been injured in a collision, you need local legal counsel to help you obtain compensation. A driver who lives in Nevada will not travel out of the state to defend himself in a lawsuit, so chances are your case must be brought here—even after you need to get return home to get back to work.
At Ladah Law Firm, our accident lawyers have been practicing in this field for decades. We have helped people injured in car, taxi, bus, and monorail accidents receive compensation for medical care, lost wages, and property damage, not to mention pain and suffering and reduced quality of life.
Contact us today. One of our attorneys can meet with you to discuss the accident and what your best bet is moving forward. Please call 702-252-0055 to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.