How Do Weather Conditions Affect Car Accidents in Las Vegas?

The Surprising Statistics: Weather’s Role in Nevada Car Accidents

There is a clear link between weather and car accidents that Las Vegas drivers experience for a couple of reasons.

Unique Weather Conditions

Deserts bring unfamiliar weather conditions. New residents and out-of-state tourists might not realize the impact of weather on car accidents in Las Vegas.

Inexperience With Driving in Poor Weather

Adverse weather conditions account for approximately 21% of all vehicle crashes in the United States. However, the Las Vegas Valley is known for sunshine. In fact, the metro area’s longest streak without measurable precipitation is 240 days or roughly eight months.

As a result, residents of Las Vegas may be unaccustomed to driving in inclement weather. Weather-related driving hazards that Nevada drivers encounter are rare, and they may be negligent when they fail to adjust.

A Closer Look: Common Weather Hazards on Las Vegas Roads

Drivers may encounter certain weather-related driving hazards in Nevada.

Sudden Downpours and Flash Floods: When Desert Roads Become Treacherous

Las Vegas is covered in pavement that does not absorb water. As a result, even a brief rainstorm can cause flooding, particularly in the summer monsoon season.

Drivers should avoid driving through standing water of unknown depth in underpasses and other low-lying areas. Even small amounts of water can be dangerous. Dirt and oil residue can also mix with rain, making roads slick.

Additionally, if your tires are worn, the vehicle will have less traction, and you could hydroplane on a thin layer of water. Thus, you should slow down and leave additional braking distance to avoid a slippery road accident.

Dust Storms and High Winds: The Peril of Reduced Visibility

Las Vegas sits in a flat valley with nothing to block the wind driving down the mountains. These winds are often energized by the thermal currents from the intense heat, leading to wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour.

These winds can cause dust storms, also called haboobs. They blow smoke into the valley from wildfires as well. Visibility issues in bad weather can arise suddenly. As a result, smoke, dust storms, and traffic accidents often accompany one another.

Powerful winds can also blow debris onto roads and down power poles and trees. Additionally, high-profile vehicles, like SUVs and semitrucks, can be pushed or even rolled by powerful winds. 

These sudden weather changes and car crash risks go hand in hand.

Extreme Heat: The Invisible Threat to Drivers and Vehicles

Las Vegas’s weather can create heat and driver fatigue dangers, such as drowsy driving with slower reaction times. Drivers experiencing dehydration or heat-related illnesses may suffer headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision.

Extreme temperatures are also hard on vehicles. Tires absorb heat from roads, and stressed tires are more likely to blow out, causing the driver to lose control.

Cars can also overheat or experience other mechanical failures, disabling them on the roads. These malfunctioning vehicles pose a danger to their drivers, as well as other road users. 

Drivers may be liable for crash-related injuries if they knew they were experiencing heat-related illness or equipment problems but continued driving instead of stopping.

Sun Glare and Fog: When You Can’t See What’s Ahead

Glare is an underappreciated risk in Las Vegas. Although sunny days might avoid many of the visibility issues in bad weather, they still create their own risks. Direct and reflected sunlight can impair a driver’s vision. Under some circumstances, glare and crash risks are as bad as fog when considering car accident risks.

This problem also exists year-round. Specifically, glare poses significant winter weather car accident risks because the sun rises later and sets earlier. Anyone commuting east toward Henderson or west toward Summerlin has the sun shining directly in their eyes. Some safe driving tips for bright days include getting tinted window coatings and sunglasses.

Legal Complexities: Determining Liability in a Weather-Related Car Accident

Drivers and insurers quickly blame the weather for car accidents. However, this is often an excuse for the driver’s bad decisions and risky behaviors.

Lawyers analyze the liability for car accidents using negligence. A driver acts negligently when they fail to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. The phrase “under the circumstances” is critically important when drivers blame the weather.

Specifically, liability depends on what an ordinary and reasonably cautious driver would have done in the same situation. Key legal considerations include the weather and lighting conditions, and whether the driver adjusted their actions based on the dangers. 

The law expects drivers to adapt to reasonably ensure the safety of other road users during adverse weather.

For example, a driver might try to shift fault in a rear-end collision to poor visibility resulting from bright sunlight or glare. However, a reasonable driver driving with bright sunlight blinding them would wear sunglasses, slow down, or even stop until the sun has moved. 

If a driver fails to take these reasonable measures, they may be liable for any resulting accident.

Understanding how weather affects car accident claims can help you pinpoint the at-fault driver’s failings. Several adjustments could reasonably be expected from drivers.

Speed

NRS 484B.600 requires drivers to slow down based on weather and visibility. Thus, a driver probably cannot blame the weather for skidding into another vehicle during a rainstorm. Instead, the fault may lie with the driver because they failed to drive at a safe speed for the weather and road surface conditions.

Following Distance

NRS 484B.127 requires drivers to follow at a reasonable and prudent following distance based on road conditions. Conditions that might require a driver to leave extra space to the vehicle ahead of them might include poor visibility, slick roads, and high wind. 

If a driver rear-ends another vehicle because they followed too closely during a dust storm, they may be liable for the injuries they caused.

Headlights

NRS 484D.100 requires headlights in low visibility. Specifically, the law requires headlights at night from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. They also require headlights whenever weather or atmospheric conditions prevent the driver from seeing at least 1,000 feet ahead of their vehicle.

Thus, this obligation applies whether the cause of the view obstruction is smoke, rain, or dust. Drivers who fail to turn on their headlights may be liable if they cannot see other vehicles or if other drivers cannot see them.

Essential Steps To Protect Your Rights After a Crash in Bad Weather

Knowing what to do after a car accident could affect your rights. Certain guidelines help you document your crash and preserve your claim.

Prioritize Safety

Stop at the accident scene without obstructing traffic. Stand on the shoulder or a sidewalk away from active travel lanes.

Contact 911

Call the police and report any injuries. The dispatcher can send officers to investigate the crash and paramedics to provide emergency care. Contacting the police is the first step in how to file a police report in Las Vegas.

Document Everything

Take photographs and videos of the crash scene. Capture images of the damage and any environmental conditions that might have affected the road, such as standing water, or visibility, such as dust.

Gather Information

Exchange insurance information with the other driver and cooperate with the investigating officers. Get the name and contact information of anyone who witnessed the crash.

Seek Medical Attention

Visit an emergency room or doctor’s office. A doctor can diagnose any hidden injuries and prescribe a treatment plan. These medical records will be essential to your injury claim.

Do Not Admit Fault

Do not admit fault. In fact, refrain from talking to the other driver or their insurer until you have legal representation.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

The most crucial step to protect your claim is to contact a lawyer who can protect you from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. Your lawyer ensures the focus remains on the other driver’s actions rather than the weather.

How Adam S. Kutner’s Legal Team Fights for Victims of Weather-Related Accidents

When an at-fault driver or their insurer blames the weather, you face an uphill battle. This argument asserts that the driver acted reasonably and, as a result, the insurer has no obligation to pay for your injury-related losses.

We stand up to insurers and at-fault drivers after a car accident by assisting you with specific services.

Investigating the Crash

We gather weather reports and police reports to address any attempt by the at-fault driver to shift blame. We may also hire accident reconstruction experts to prove the other driver’s negligence based on the best practices for bad weather driving.

Dealing With Insurance

We prepare and file an insurance claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer. We communicate with the insurance company to prevent it from blaming you or the weather to avoid liability or reduce your compensation. 

Our experienced attorneys will deal with any claim denials by submitting arguments and evidence to prove your argument that the driver’s actions, not the weather, caused your accident.

Calculating Your Damages

We meticulously document all your losses, including medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and calculate the compensation you can seek under Nevada law. We use this calculation to negotiate with the insurer or advocate to jurors, if your case goes to trial.

Litigating Your Case

We will try to settle your claim quickly and fairly by negotiating with the insurer. However, we are also prepared to take your case to court to fight for the financial compensation you deserve.

Don’t Let Bad Weather Wash Away Your Right to Compensation

Weather affects road conditions and visibility. However, it is only a factor that drivers must adapt to. When crashes occur in poor weather, the blame often falls on drivers who failed to adjust their speed, following distance, and other driving behaviors to account for the environmental conditions.

Accident victims have the right to seek injury compensation from negligent drivers. Insurers and at-fault drivers often deflect the blame to the weather to avoid paying claims. The lawyers at Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, have the experience and legal knowledge to fight these defenses, so you get full and fair injury compensation.

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