No, I am not talking about a type of sushi here… I am talking about drivers that do NOT come to a complete stop at stop signs and when they are turning right on red.

I see it all the time.  And according to Police, they see it too!  I am from Upstate New York orginally, so I had never heard of a “California Roll.”  To me, it sounded like something I would choose when I stand in line at the sub shop!   But I later learned it’s just a name for a bad driving pattern… and it’s named after California drivers, who are famous for doing it.   Rolling through the stop sign or red light.

Did you know, you are not only suppose come to a complete stop at a stop sign, but you are also supposed to stop at the stop bar…. then pull forward…. look both ways… and only go if it’s safe.   How many drivers do you think do that? Not many!!

I always find it interesting when I see accident scenes at four way stops.  How can that happen? Nobody is going fast… so there should be plenty of time to realize you could crash… right? I guess not.  I just don’t get it.

At a four-way stop, police say you are supposed to let the person to your right go first.  That’s how a four way works.  If we all did this, there would be some kind of order.  But instead, it’s who can skip through without having to wait. 

The rules of the road are there for a reason.  Share your thoughts and tell me your stories.  I am sure many of you have one (or two, or three, or four…..)

Someone posted a comment on my blog about something I recently covered.    It’s called “due care.” 

What it means is that drivers must use care when driving, and if they don’t… they can be responsible for breaking the law or the cause of an accident.

I recently went out with the North Las Vegas Police and watched them give out warnings to drivers at the intersection of Cheyenne & Losee.   It was unbelievable!!  Laws broken every minute, literally!  Many of them blamed on drivers not using due care.

For example:

Yes, you can use the shoulder area if the road is wide enough and there is not a painted line… BUT you can’t go speeding southbound down Losee passing everyone as you try to get to the light at Cheyenne.  You must use due care.  Take it slow, watch for other vehicles and drive defensively.  That–  is due care.

 If you were to look up due care it would say:  the care that a reasonable man would exercise under the circumstances.

Shouldn’t we all use Due Care? I think it would make our roads much safer

Horses on the road.  Yes, in a city as big as Las Vegas, we still see people that ride horses for transportation.   Many times you will see this in North Las Vegas or in the Northwest part of the valley. 

So a viewer asked me…. are they allowed in the road?  

Well, here’s the answer.  There are no clear cut laws on this, but basically, police say horse riders must follow the same rules of the road as bicyclists.

Pedestrians have the right of way.  You must walk your horse across the cross walk. 

And, most importantly, police say you MUST pick up after your horse!!  If you know what I mean!

I know a lot of horse lovers in town, and we want every one of them to be safe. 

I received many emails from people after I aired my What’s Driving You Crazy?! segment on this. 

Susan from Pahrump made a good point!  She says, “Not just here, but all around the U.S. people are using their horses as A means of transportation. Why? The increase of fuel stops alot of us from doing alot of the things we used to enjoy. If you need A loaf of bread and the store is only A couple of miles away it is more fuel efficient to hop on your horse instead of in your car. ”

I love it!

Just in the last week we have reported on two rollovers…. one on U.S. 95 near Durango and another on Cheyenne near Allen Lane.   This morning we showed an accident at the airport connector.   The car hit a light pole, knocked it over, and that pole fell below to the road and hit another car!   How!? Why? Do we all really need to drive this fast??

 I know I talk a lot about rollovers and how they amaze me.  Many of you have posted comments saying… it’s easier to do, than it seems.  But… really?   You have to admit… you must be going pretty fast.  

So here’s my new question.  Why does everyone drive so FAST?  What purpose does it serve?  Are you late? Are you rushing to Target? What?  

I look forward to hearing your comments!  Post away! :) 

And… Drive Safe!

This week I did a “What’s Driving You Crazy?!” special report on who paints the lines on county roads.  We found out that there is only a crew of FOUR people in charge of this.  Last year they painted almost 7,000 miles of roadway!  They cover all county roads from Logandale to Sandy Valley.

Here are the links to the stories:

Part One

Part Two

Many people ask, why only four people? How can that possibly be? Clark County says it obviously comes down to funding.  The Public Works Department shares a budget with METRO and UMC… so in the end… it receives the smallest piece of the pie.  Only about 2.4 percent.  

Each year, every department hands in a budget with its personnel and equipment needs.  It goes to management, then to the County’s Department of Finance.   The Department of Finance takes in all the information and makes a priority list for the county’s annual budge.  This list then goes to the Board of County Commissioners for approvel.  Many of the decisions depend on the County’s projected revenue for the upcoming year. 

So for now… the County is stuck with using only one Maintenance Supervisor and a crew of three to work with him.  They also only have one paint truck.  And one new machine that helps seal those RPM’s (Raised Pavement Markers) down to the road. 

 Here’s some information that can help you.  I know many of you see spots of concern around the valley, here are some numbers you can use to report a faded line, ghost line, an area that needs a school crosswalk, etc.

 Clark County Traffic Operations Division:  702-455-7544
( The county is in charge of county roads and the 215 Beltway west of the I-15)

North Las Vegas: 702-633-1264

Nevada Dept. of Transportation: 702-385-6504

Henderson: 702-267-3099

 City of Las Vegas: 702-229-6276

** But remember, make sure you leave your name and number if you get a message!  They want to be able to call you back and update you on the issue.  Sometimes the issue you have is not in their jurisdiction too.  So they want to call you and give you the correct number.  

Yes, they are coming.  But will they really make a difference to YOU? 

 Well, they will if you drive from the Southern 215 to the Spaghetti Bowl without exiting- vice versa. 

 But, other than that probably not.  Yes, it will get some of that traffic off the highway used by those that exit along that stretch… so we’ll take anything we can get right!  The Nevada Department of Transporation has had plans for this express lane for a while… but they finally got the funding last week.

NDOT already has the room on the highway for the Express Lanes… so construtction shouldn’t affect the commute too much.   I love project like this…. because all th work can be done while most of the lanes are left open.

The lanes should be open by early 2009.

For more information - click here.

 What do you think? Do you think the Express Lanes will help ease traffic congestion on the I-15?

The celebrations are great here in Las Vegas… when it comes to ringing in the new year!  The fireworks, the live music, the confetti…. all of it… mixed together makes a great New Year’s party!

I have received several phone calls and emails about traffic on the strip and the commute in to town from Los Angeles.

Los Angeles drivers should expect delays if they leave ON New Year’s Eve day.  The earlier you leave the better at this point.  When it’s time to return home…. if you can… wait until Wednesday to leave… or leave very early on Tuesday. 

I-15 will close the off ramps in the eastbound direction from Tropicana to Spring Mountain.  No thru traffic will be allowed from Russell to Sahara.  And, Las Vegas Blvd. will also be completely closed from Russell to Sahara starting around 5 p.m.

You can access most parking garages by coming in from the east side.  Try to stay away from garages along Frank Sinatra Drive unless you go early.   Emergency crews will use Frank Sinatra for access to the strip. 

Downtown will be a busy place too… get there early, early, early!

Stay safe! Don’t Drink & Drive! 

 Call 456-RIDE if you need someone to take you home! Designated Drivers will give you and your car a ride home!  Take advantage… don’t risk it!

It’s been a great year!  Let’s hope for a wonderful 2008.  Please… let’s drive safer and be nicer to our fellow drivers on the road!  Can’t we all just get along ?! :)

 Make sure to check out our live coverage of New Year’s Eve… 10 p.m. on Channel 8.  I’ll be live at the Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino.. with a great view! 

 Take Care!

See you in ‘08!  ;)

Today in my special report we took a look at where we are now when it comes to the 95 Widening project. Believe it or not… the final countdown is on! The project should be complete in a couple of weeks. In fact, most of the new northbound and southbound lanes should be open by the end of THIS week!

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