Reno Reporter

Car accidents that involve horses are on the rise in Reno, and local officials have taken notice. 

"Car accidents involving horses are on the rise in south Reno," the City of Reno tweeted Jan. 10.

The accidents mostly involve wild horses from the Virginia Range, which have periodically stumbled upon the Geiger Grade area ever since the beginning of its development, the Nevada Independent reported. However, recent years have seen these accidents rise drastically as a result of the rapid growth of human activity in the area. 

Thousands of homes have been added in recent years, which means a much higher potential for interactions and accidents between cars and horses. In addition to the building of more homes, there has been more construction of apartments, businesses and highways. 

Though the incidents have been on the rise over the course of the last 10 years, recent months have been especially bad. Just since October of last year, 13 accidents have happened, causing the death of nine horses, the Nevada Independent reported. No humans have been killed in those incidents as of yet. 

To address the issue, residents of Ward 2 in Reno held a neighborhood board meeting. The meeting was led by Councilwoman Naomi Duerr, and its purpose was to discuss safety measures that could help to stifle the number of horse-car accidents. 

Several suggestions for solutions were put forth at the meeting, including blocking access to the roads so that horses can't wander into the street. This is considered the most promising solution, but will require funding from the city to be made a reality.