I often have conversations with the Metro Police Traffic Bureau’s Sgt. Steve Wholey.  We interview him live on our show every Wednesday at 6:15 a.m..   He helps provide answers to viewer questions about traffic laws.

Anyway, during our conversation this week… he mentioned a recent child safety seat checkpoint his department conducted.  He told me that almost every vehicle they pulled over did not have their child’s safety seat installed properly or did not have one at all.    

Can you believe it? I do know from talking with friends and family that have children, that those seats can be a bit confusing to install.  But… there are places you can go to have them checked and you should.  Just for piece of mind.  There have been several accidents in the valley where children die or are ejected from the vehicle because they were not in a safety seat or not properly secured.

Did you know:

Nevada state law requires that children under age 6 and 60 pounds ride in a federally approved car seat or booster seat that is appropriate for the child’s age and weight.  The car seat or booster must be installed and used according to manufacturer’s instructions.

I found a great website that has more information for you!   It’s called Give’Em A Boost Nevada – Check it out!!

Posted by Dayna Roselli

So, it’s Memorial Day.  A day to remember our fallen heroes.

I worked this morning.  I thought as I drove into work… "it will be a slow day, since it’s a holiday."

Schools are out… Post offices closed… Courts, etc.

BUT… we started off our morning commute with TWO fatal accidents.  One at I-15 and Cheyenne and another at Tropicana & Jones.  Two people died between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. today.  Why?  Could it be because the roads were empty… do people think that gives them the green light to go as fast as they want?  I sure hope not.  Police are still investigating both accidents.

Anyway, I guess this is another wake up call for all of us to slow down, buckle up, and drive safe!

Enjoy your Memorial Day.

Posted by

Dayna Roselli

A couple of things you should know as we head in to the "unofficial" start to summer! 

NUMBER ONE: Free rides on the Monorail for locals!!

Who:   The Las Vegas Monorail is honoring Memorial Day by inviting all locals to “play tourist” this weekend and ride the Monorail for free while enjoying a wide array of free entertainment on its 4-mile route along the Las Vegas Strip.  

What:     Locals ride the Monorail for free this Saturday, Sunday and Monday by showing Nevada ID at all Monorail station Customer Service Booths from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to receive two single-ride tickets per person per station.   On Sunday afternoon, the Monorail and its partners are sponsoring free entertainment, contests and giveaways at its stations. Entertainment includes magic and juggling acts, an airbrush tattoo artist, DJs, jazz and reggae bands, karaoke, a fashion show and opportunities to meet performers from top

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And, if you are flying out of town…. get dropped of at the airport!  The airport can be nightmare to begin with…. it’s always busy… but now add in all the visitors coming in and out on a long holiday weekend!  The parking will fill up quick… so it’s best to take a taxi or get dropped off by a family member or friend. 

Parking Tips

· Travelers are urged to take a taxi or bus, or ask a friend or relative to drop them off when visiting McCarran this holiday weekend.

· McCarran’s Long Term garage will be full and closed during peak summer travel periods, including many weekends. An uncovered Economy Parking Lot is located east of the airport along · Shuttles will run continuously between uncovered parking areas and the airport’s terminals. Travelers using Economy or overflow parking should set aside at least 30 additional minutes to travel to or from the airport.

· Short Term parking and the passenger pick-up curb will also be busy. Before coming to the airport to pick someone up, please check their flight status by visiting www.mccarran.com or calling (702) 261-4636.

· Travelers with personal digital assistants or “smart phones” can access current flight information at www.flymccarran.com.

· McCarran’s valet parking will be full and closed during peak travel periods. Check for availability by calling (702) 261-6999.

Dozens and dozens of you write to me about your frustration with the 215 Beltway on the west side.  Especially about the Southern I-15 & 215 interchange.  It backs up every single afternoon, without a doubt.   

Many of you wonder: why doesn’t the county just restripe the lanes to make it three on each side… instead of two?

You think… since it "looks" wide enough… it seems like the simple thing to do!

But … there is more to it.  I asked the Clark County Public Works Department to try and simplify it for us! 

Here’s what they had to say:

The county’s original plan was to build the beltway as a "full freeway" facility as it was being constructed section by section. Under this plan, the beltway was slated to be completely build-out sometime in 2025 or later. As an additional note, had the county continued under the original plan, today’s beltway would maybe extend from the Summerlin Parkway or Charleston Boulevard area to Stephanie Street in Henderson. None of the 215 initial facilities north or Summerlin or Charleston would be in place or even in design at this time – - let alone in place and operation since October 2003.

In 1996, the county commissioners and other valley elected officials decided to adopt an "accelerated" schedule to get an initial facility in place (two lanes in each direction) for the entire 51-plus miles of the beltway’s alignment – - again which has been in place and operation since October 2003. To get this done, the environmental assessment/evaluation of the beltway’s initial facilities was approved for only two lanes in each direction. This Federal Highway Administration approval was needed in order to proceed with the accelerated construction plans/schedule.

Because of the "accelerated" schedule the 215’s two bridge structures near the railroad crossing and Decatur Boulevard in the valley’s southern region were constructed to accommodate two lanes in each direction. These bridge structures were constructed in 1997 and opened to the traveling public in 1999 when the mainline travel lanes were completed. The county’s plan all along has been to "upgrade" the 215’s initial facilities to their "ultimate" freeway configuration once the initial facilities were completed. These upgrade projects started before the end of 2003.

Since this section of the 215 was initially completed, people moving to the Las Vegas Valley have continued to add numerous vehicles to the valley’s roadways each day. Consequently, you have more vehicles using this roadway each and every day.

The county currently has a project, which it is hoping to advertise for construction by the this month. If the project is advertised, awarded and encounters no problems, a third travel lane through this section of the 215 could be available for use sometime in early 2008. The overall project won’t be finished until the end of 2008.

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I hope this information helps you understand!

Posted by Dayna Roselli

You are not really taking it out on the Road.. you are taking it out on another drive.  Taking out your frustrations with the way others drive around you.   Yes, sometimes, it is frustrating… but you never know what that person you are fighting with on the road – is going to do!

Dr. Louis Mortillaro, a licensed psychologist in Las Vegas, joined me this morning to talk about why it gets "this bad."   And when I mean "this bad," I refered to an incident that took place on January 9th.  A group of students had a verbal arguement with a man at a 76 gas station convenience store on Decatur.  The right continued on the road… and then eventually ended at the parking lot of Western High School.  One student was shot and another was hit with metal fragments.   Both lived… luckily.

Dr. Mortillaro says often, most people, that take it this far… are angry to begin with.  He calls it the "kick the cat syndrome."  Putting the blame on something or someone else.  Dr. Mortillaro says people don’t get angry once they get in the car… they have been angry for many years.

If you do get into a situation that causes you to get upset… you should "focus" and make a hand gesture that says your "sorry."  This will help the situation blow over… so everyone can get to their destination safely!

Please, drive safe…. and continue to watch in the mornings…. Road Rage Week continues!!

Posted by Dayna Roselli

Okay, I’m writing to clear something up. I wrote about Roadabouts a few blogs ago… and someone noticed that what I said "Metro Police say" – is not what the DMV handbook says.

I can’t believe it! I was about to write in about the roundabouts driving me crazy, when I came across your traffic blog where you posted, "Here is how they work, according to Metro Police: You need to get over to the right to make a right. You also need to yield to anyone that is in the right lane before you change. Or, you should simply go around again until it is safe to change lanes."

I’d like to know why your source at Metro Police states the rules exactly opposite of the Nevada DMV driver’s handbook, which states on page 34, "Drivers in the right lane must yield to a vehicle in the left lane that is exiting."

t’s no wonder there is so much confusion about these things.

So…which is it? I want to know who should be going back to traffic school…the DMV or Metro Police…It is driving me crazy!

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So, I talked with Metro Police Department again.  And guess what they learned, the DMV handbook was wrong. 

Here’s what Metro had to say:

I spoke with the representative over at DMV who actually wrote that section into the handbook. He was getting his information from other states DMV websites and I believe he said Switzerland as well.

To make a long story short, he is going to revise his manual and appologized for the confusion. He said he couldn’t find any local information on roundabouts and therefore had to use other handbook information.

As I mentioned on our last viewer response, the only time a driver can deviate from the "normal" traffic rules, IE. make a right turn from the outermost lane and as close to the curb as practical, is when there is additional signage to indicate so. A multilane roundabout, by design, is set up so the right lane can turn right or go straight and the inside, left lane can go straight or continue to the next intersection and turn right. However, there is not a Nevada law which illustrates this that I, or anyone else for that matter, is aware or. Therefore, we use the Right turn-position and method statute in the absence of an additional sign or roadway marking to dictate otherwise.

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Isn’t that interesting! Thanks Metro Police for clearing this up!

Posted by Dayna Roselli