Las Vegas Blog

Advantages of biking in Las Vegas’s suburbs are growing, including bicycle infrastructure projects like Skye Canyon. Many applaud Las Vegas’s attempts toward long-term environmental sustainability.

Southern Nevada has approximately 870 miles of bike lanes, paths, and shared roads, with plans to double that number, including more protected lanes for bikes.  Southern Nevada is known for its great residential neighborhoods with good connectivity to recreational spaces.

Some of the top benefits of bike-friendly suburbs:

• Studies indicate that 28% of residents living in Southern Nevada have either no automobile or limited/shared access. Safe biking conditions give low-income Americans access to jobs, schooling, stores and transit so they do not have to buy a car, which costs about $8,500 a year to operate. Biking safely also allows children and younger teens, who often do not have access to cars or people to drive them, get around to appointments or lessons, fostering independence.
• Biking provides proven health benefits. Bicycling about 30 minutes a day reduces chances of many common diseases including diabetes, dementia, and depression by at least 40%.
• Biking is the best way to see the suburbs and smaller towns. You can only see a limited amount walking and driving, but while riding a bike, you can see more and make a local connection.
• Biking infrastructure makes the suburban streets safer for bikers, drivers, and walkers and reduces the frequency of crashes. Protected bike lanes help drivers by making it safer to get into and out cars.
• Transportation causes over 25% of all greenhouses gases. Swapping a car for a bike even on short commutes an entire ton less of carbon per person yearly. Bicycling also provides suburbs with better air quality and a quieter environment and surroundings.
• As a suburb’s streets and sidewalks are often in a state of disrepair, bicycle projects can save money by maintaining and expanding a suburb’s transportation systems.

Glen Lerner from Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys remarked, ““Bicycling is an integral part of the Southern Nevada transportation system, and  will help manage health and transportation costs going forward.”

A truck’s blind spot is the area it that is not visible by use of the truck’s mirrors. Semi-trucks have the biggest blind spots, and semi-truck drivers and others are often at greatest risk of collision. The size and weight of an 18-wheeler compared to a car means that a car will bear the force of the impact in a collision.

From 2009 through 2013, according to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), 371 individuals were killed and over 2,770 people were seriously injured in collisions with big trucks. Additionally, NDOT notes that more than 72% of accidents involving trucks are the other vehicle’s fault.

Usually, a semi-truck has a blind spot on each side of their vehicle, behind the trailer and to the immediate right side of the cab. The type of truck’s side mirrors impacts the size and location of a blind spot. However other drivers should just assume that a truck driver cannot see them in any of the common blind spots.

Some trucking companies are employing technology with blind spot indicators and cameras. The systems are expensive and they are in the very beginning stages of use.

The majority of blind spot related accidents occur when a truck is making a right turn at an intersection and the other drivers are unaware of how much room the truck needs. The car or other vehicle is often in the blind spot of the truck.

For several years, there have been public service campaigns for drivers to increase awareness of the dangers associated with trucks’ blind spots, referred to as “no-zones,” or areas where drivers should not stay in while driving.

Drivers should avoid passing big rigs on the right, and when passing on the left, go past the truck as quickly as possible, because a driver does not want to stay in a truck’s blind spot. After passing the truck, the driver should make sure that they can see the front of the truck in their rearview mirror before pulling in front of it.

Glen Lerner from Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys noted, “While the facts regarding each blind spot collision will always be different, a truck driver has a duty to check his or her blind spots before changing lanes. The failure to check may make the truck driver liable for any resulting collision.”

Cruise control helps a driver keep a constant speed without the need for driver input or monitoring the speedometer.  Cruise control is standard on most cars and is often preferred by highway commuters.

However, cruise control should not be used when driving in the city of Las Vegas proper, as the possibility of heavy traffic and sudden stops may cause a loss of control.

Cruise control allows you to maintain a minimum driving speed (usually at least 25 mph) without checking the speedometer. The driver does not have to keep their foot on the gas, which may avert driver fatigue during long trips.

Cruise control may also reduce gas consumption by stopping the vehicle’s sudden braking. Studies have shown that fuel savings of between seven to fourteen percent. While an experienced driver might also drive more economically without cruise control, a less proficient driver would benefit using cruise control.

Cruise control’s drawbacks are that it may increase a driver’s time to react. The systems are not connected to the brakes and cannot prevent a vehicle from speeding when traveling down a steep hill.

Cruise control safety tips:

• Do not use cruise control in bad weather, including when there are wet or slick roads.
• You still must carefully watch the road when using cruise control. Remember that your reaction time may be slower, as you have to disengage cruise control before you slow down.
• Gradually increase your speed and never set your cruise control above the legal speed limit.
• Once you are at the speed you want, activate the cruise control system which is generally buttons found on the steering wheel. You should be familiar with the location of the on and off buttons before you start driving to avoid an accident.
• To slow down, either press the button on the cruise control system or use the brake, which automatically disengages cruise control.

Glen Lerner from Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys remarked, “Using cruise control is helps a driver monitor and control speed while on a highway and can reduce fuel consumption. However, you still must remain alert and engaged.”

Since Las Vegas does not experience fog too often, many drivers become very nervous when they encounter fog, and start to speed up while driving. This is the most dangerous thing to do, and drivers should remind themselves to not speed up and check their speedometer. Driving at normal posted speeds can be dangerous.

Best recommended practices for safe driving through fog include:

• Drive slowly. When you cannot clearly see what is ahead of you, do not fully stop, but do drive slowly.
• You should always have headlights on when driving in fog. Some drivers think their lights are blinding them because of the reflection off of the fog, but headlights are to be used so that other vehicles can see your car.
• Follow the white line on the right side of the pavement. This line helps drivers clearly see the road and allows drivers to more easily stay in their lanes.
• Keep your distance. Bunching up while driving in foggy conditions could cause an accident or a pile up.
• Do not use high beams, which reflect off of the fog’s water vapor and reduce visibility.
• Use low beams or fog lamps if your car is equipped with them. This improves your vehicle’s visibility.
• If it is just too foggy to drive safely, and you do not feel confident, stop driving until the fog dissipates. Remember that if you cannot see while driving, neither can other drivers.
• If you must stop, park completely off the road. Stop in a side street, parking lot, driveway, rest area, or any safe spot away from the traffic flow. It is crucial to turn off your lights. If your lights stay on, drivers might think you are on the roadway and drive into you.

Glen Lerner from Glen Lerner Injury Attorneys commented, “Most dense fog is temporary and it is always safest to wait until it has lifted. Drivers must make adjustments when driving through dense fog.”