Driver Education: Las Vegas Area Police Stop Motorists To Educate Them About Moving Over For Bicyclists
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
There’s no continuing education for motorists.
But many motorists on Charleston Boulevard in Summerlin received an unexpected driving lesson Wednesday around mid-day when Las Vegas area police officers pulled them over and tried to educate them that they are required under law to move over a lane to pass a bicyclist if an adjacent passing lane is not occupied. A total of 170 people were stopped and 184 citations were given out.
Too many killed bicyclists on Las Vegas area roadways are just too much to ignore and public safety and police officials are ramping up the efforts to end the carnage that leaves families grieving for loved ones dying on the streets and byways of Southern Nevada. From Forbes:
On Dec. 10, a truck driver with meth in his system plowed into a group of cyclists 60 miles south of Las Vegas and killed five of the bicyclists pedaling a 130-mile loop through Nevada and California.
Motorcyclist cops from several police agencies including Las Vegas Metro and North Las Vegas teamed up with bicycling Sgt. Michael Campbell of the Clark County School District to pull over motorists who failed to move over a lane or at least give three feet to bicyclists when passing the two-wheeled travelers on a two-mile stretch of Charleston Boulevard from Desert Foothills Drive to Hualapai Way.
LVSportsBiz.com interviewed Campbell before he took off on his road bicycle equipped with gear to detect cars that get too close to him and his bike.
Andrew Bennett, PIO for the Nevada Public Safety’s Traffic Division, has done close to 400 interviews about traffic issues in metro Las Vegas and Nevada. LVSportsBiz.com also spoke with Bennett about Wednesday’s enforcement and education exercise in the west valley.
Joining Bennett was Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones, who is also concerned about bicyclists and pedestrians being struck by motorists. Jones also spoke this morning at about 11 a.m.
Police stopped more than 30 motorists to inform that they when they pass a bicyclist, they need to pass them by at least three feet and move over to a second lane if that passing lane is open.
LVSportsBiz.com bicycled the two miles down Charleston and the two miles back and saw several motorists pulled over and heard officers advising the drivers that they are required to move over a land to pass bicyclists if one is available otherwise they must clear a bicyclist by a minimum distance of three feet. The change lanes law is relatively new and not many motorists even know it in Nevada.
The Clark County District Attorney’s office told LVSportsBiz.com that the Arizona truck driver accused of killing five cyclists on U.S. highway 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight had his first court appearance scheduled for today postponed until Jan. 4. The DA has requested that bail be set at $1 million and the judge will make a ruling on that during the appearance on Jan. 4. The truck driver, Jordan Alexander Barson of Kingman, Arizona, is accused of driving his truck with methamphetamine in his system into a group of 20 cyclists, killing five of them.
The DA’s amended criminal complaint against Barson includes two additional charges from the original dozen felonies.
