RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – Nevada ranks 15th in the nation for fatal crashes involving young drivers where speeding was a contributing factor, with 166 deaths over five years, according to an analysis by DeHoyos Accident Attorneys that examined data from 2020 through 2024 across all 50 states.
The report found Nevada averaged 33.2 fatal crashes a year involving drivers ages 15 to 20, where speeding played a role.
The state’s per-capita rate was 17.25 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents ages 15 to 20, about 18% above the national average of 14.67, the analysis said.
In northern Nevada, where teens and young adults routinely travel longer distances on high-speed corridors such as Interstate 80 and U.S. 395, safety advocates often warn that summer driving can bring added risk as more miles are logged and more passengers pile into cars.
The Memorial Day-to-Labor Day stretch is frequently cited in road safety research as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” a period when travel increases and risky choices, including speeding, can have deadly consequences.
Nevada’s year-to-year numbers swung sharply during the five years, rather than following a steady trend, the DeHoyos analysis found.
The state recorded 39 fatal crashes in 2020, then dropped to a low of 23 in 2021, before rising again to 33 in 2022, dipping to 27 in 2023 and then spiking to a five-year high of 44 in 2024.
The 2024 per-capita rate was 22.14 fatal crashes per 100,000 teens, the highest in the study period and about 51% above the national average, according to the analysis.
DeHoyos Accident Attorneys said its report used the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Data Analysis Network and U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates, calculating state rates using five-year average crash counts and five-year average youth population.
The analysis ranked Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona as the top three states by per-capita rate, with Nevada at No. 15.
If Nevada matched the national rate over the five years, the state would have been expected to average about 28 fatal crashes a year instead of 33.2, which would have potentially spared an estimated 25 lives, the report said.
The volatility, capped by the sharp jump in 2024, underscores the challenge for Nevada officials and communities trying to curb speeding among young drivers on both urban streets and wide-open rural highways.
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