“Take Action and Keep Others from Driving Dangerously”

March 24, 2021

Assemblyman Steve Yeager, Chair

Assembly Committee on Judiciary

Nevada State Legislature

401 S. Carson Street

Carson City, NV 89701‐4747

Dear Chair Steve Yeager and Committee Members:

We Save Lives is a national organization that focuses on the 3 D’, drunk, drugged and distracted driving. Unfortunately, due to the social acceptance of distracted driving and lack of sanctions we continue to see an increase in crashes and fatalities that plague our roadways. The National Safety Council at least 28% of all traffic crashes — or at least 1.6 million crashes each year — are caused by drivers using cell phones and texting. These are horrible numbers and the real tragedy is that all of this is preventable. Drivers make choices, they can choose to drive safely or they can choose to drive dangerously. Unfortunately, many chose to drive dangerously and because of the lack of appropriate laws and accountability to deter such behavior they get away with it. Our loved ones, especially our children deserve better.

Can you imagine a Judge giving a one -day sentence or no sentence to someone using a gun and killing innocent people just because he was talking on his cell phone and wasn’t paying attention? What if that innocent person were your child or your spouse? Or what if someone was drunk and went on a shooting spree? Would you want to see them given a fine and community service if they killed a child even though that may not have been their attention? A motor vehicle is just another weapon only this one is more deadly. 

This is why We Save Lives on behalf of our 45 partners supports Assembly Bill 10 that would change the penalty of vehicular manslaughter from a simple misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor allowing the Justice Courts to have increased discretion in these cases. This change would provide equitable justice to the victims and their families and hold drivers who make reckless driving choices accountable. 

Thank you for your time and consideration on this bill.

Sincerely,

Candace Lightner, President

We Save Lives

Founder, MADD