Due to millions of tourists, all-night casinos, and a high crime rate, following safety tips are essential to prevent accidents and injuries on the Las Vegas Strip.
Safety on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination that welcomes more than 40 million visitors each year. The city is renowned for a variety of luxurious hotels, casinos, stage shows, music concerts, and fun-filled attractions for all age groups. As a destination with a high tourist population and non-stop, year-round activities, Las Vegas has a high rate of vehicle and pedestrian accidents seen by Nevada injury lawyers.
An area that encompasses about four miles and most of the downtown area, the Las Vegas Strip is filled with hundreds of all-night bars and casinos, busy restaurants and theaters, and shopping destinations. Heavy congestion and flashing lights create numerous distractions that put drivers and pedestrians at higher risk for injuries from:
- Drunk and/or distracted drivers
- Aggressive drivers
- Drunk/impaired pedestrians
- Slip and fall accidents
- Poorly designated crosswalks
- Criminals
Understanding accident and injury risks and following important safety tips can help drivers and pedestrians ensure they stay safe on the Las Vegas Strip.
Avoiding Driving on the Strip
To prevent accidents, Las Vegas offers free monorail service, hotel shuttles, and public transportation options for visitors, so they can avoid driving on the strip. Taxis and rideshare services like Uber and Lyft offer easy, convenient transportation with reasonable fees to any destination.
People who drive on the Strip are urged to avoid distractions and follow the rules of the road related to impaired driving, speed limits, and traffic signals. Cell phones, GPS systems, children, pets, and eating and drinking can be major distractions behind the wheel. Driving in a heavily congested area like the Las Vegas Strip requires a driver’s undivided attention and focus on the road.
Buckling Up
Nevada law requires that all motorists buckle their seat belts and use a child safety seat. Violation of these traffic laws can result in tickets with steep fines. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proven that seat belts can prevent serious injuries in a car crash. Not buckling up causes a substantial risk of severe injuries, amputated limbs, long-term or permanent disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries (TBI).
Crossing the Street Carefully
Days and nights in Las Vegas are filled with heavy traffic, so pedestrians are urged to cross the street with caution by using designated crosswalks. Since alcohol is served in most casinos, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants on the Strip, Henderson injury lawyers often see serious accidents, as well as hit and run accidents, during early morning hours. Jaywalking or crossing the street outside of a designated crosswalk or in a dimly lit area increases the risk of getting hit by a car and injured or killed by a drunk or distracted driver.
Traveling in Groups
The Las Vegas Strip has a higher than normal crime rate seen by injury lawyers due to petty theft, armed robberies, and physical attacks. For safety, visitors are urged to travel in groups and avoid venturing off the Strip onto dark streets and into isolated, unfamiliar areas. When sightseeing and walking around the strip to various destinations, traveling in groups can enhance personal safety, especially during the night and early morning hours.
Protecting Valuables
When sightseeing, valuables such as cash, credit cards, and personal belongings should be protected and concealed under clothing or left in a hotel safe whenever possible. Petty theft is a problem on the Las Vegas Strip, so it’s best to leave the hotel with essentials and just enough cash to cover needs for the day. Purses with straps that cross the body and wallets carried in front pockets deter pickpockets from petty theft crimes.
When gambling in a casino, purses, wallets, and valuables such as jewelry and cell phones should be hidden as much as possible. In Las Vegas, thieves constantly case casinos looking for easy targets to rob. Purses and valuable items should never be placed on the floor when gambling. Most well-known Las Vegas hotels have hotel safes or room safes where guests can leave their valuables.
Watching Out for Slippery Surfaces
In Las Vegas, people are permitted by law to carry drinks on the street and in public places. This allows easy spills onto sidewalks and floors in hotel lobbies and casinos. Slip and fall accidents are a common cause of injuries seen by Nevada injury lawyers. When a fall occurs on a hard surface like concrete, stone, brick, or tile, injuries can be severe. Falls onto hard surfaces often result in broken bones, spinal injuries, internal bleeding, damaged organs, head trauma, and brain injuries. In some cases, falls onto hard surfaces can result in permanent injuries, disabilities, and even death.