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It’s a jungle out there: Driving in Las Vegas is major hazard

We have a problem and a challenge in Las Vegas that needs to be addressed or it will get even worse.

Every week there are numerous auto accidents, motorcycle crashes and pedestrians hit by vehicles. Just about every day, I personally see people running red lights and stop signs, cutting off pedestrians who are in crosswalks and driving 15 mph to 20 mph over the speed limit on the freeways and side streets.

I’ve seen people cut across three lanes of traffic to take an exit on the freeway, and I even had one moron pass me using the breakdown lane on the right side of the freeway. There is also a consistent group of people who use the diamond lane as their personal passing lane. If you drive at the speed limit on the freeway, there will be someone consistently riding your bumper.

It is scary out there, and people are getting injured and killed every day because we allow it to happen. The auto insurance rates are high in Las Vegas because of the high incidents of collisions. People are driving while inebriated, talking on their cellphones and weaving in and out of traffic at 90 mph. They’re generally not concerned about how their dangerous driving habits jeopardize the rest of us.

Targeting sections of the freeway for an entire week at a time would generate a ton of speeding tickets and might get people to slow down. There are remedies for the people who run stoplights, too. We just need to be willing to use them. Intersection cameras at some of the worst spots would help.

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