When most Nevada residents get a ticket, they either pay it or fight it in court. But little do Nevadans know that there are other ways that you can remove points from your driving record – and one entertaining yet effective way is by taking a NV comedy defensive driving course.

This post will take a closer look at the advantages of taking a comedy defensive driving course. Here’s a look:

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It is a dangerous mix, children and vehicles. Cars are two- or three-tone missiles made of steel and glass and plastic, that are sometimes difficult to control, while children are fragile creatures prone to darting into the street after a ball or just because they see a friend across the road. Any time these two things mix in the same area the chances for a tragedy greatly increase.

Las Vegas police hope they can avoid tragedies on their roads this year by increasing their numbers on the street and reminding all motorists to slow and take it easy.

Drivers will be reminded that pedestrians, children or anyone walking on the street or crossing the street, always have the right of way. They will also be reminding pedestrians that jaywalking, crossing the street where there is no crosswalk, is also illegal. Unfortunately, in a collision between a human body and a car, the human body will always sustain more damage, and come out on the losing end.

It seems likely that these increased police patrols will result in more citations being written for both drivers and pedestrians. What is hoped is that the increased police patrols in Las Vegas will also result in fewer injuries caused by drivers who fail to exert caution when pedestrians are present.

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The graphic display along the interstate was one of at least two unauthorized signs spotted Wednesday morning in the Las Vegas area. Another found on Highland Avenue and Desert Inn Road was white with black lettering that read, “Hope You’re Happy Wall St.,” and a similar mannequin hanging off the edge.

Las Vegas police immediately contacted the companies which owned the billboards (three separate billboards) and were told the billboards must have been vandalized overnight. The police set about cutting down the dummy while the billboards went to work removing the messages.

For drivers every distraction is an accident waiting to happen. It only takes a moment for a driver to look away from the road ahead for an accident to happen, especially on a busy interstate. Advertising has long been held by highway traffic safety experts as a possible distraction for drivers. There has been much debate about the wisdom of allowing roadways advertisements which are designed specifically to attract the attention of drivers. Do we really want drivers reading a billboard as they drive along at 65 or 70 miles per hour?

About 50 years ago drivers were often greeted with a myriad of signs designed to get them to read along. The “Burma Shave” company is perhaps the most well-remembered of these types of advertisements. They used multiple signs, each with one small part of their message, spread at nominal distances along the side of the roads. These signs were not only effective advertising, they were also responsible for more than their fair share of roadway crashes, prompting safety groups to petition for their removal.

Driving distractions abound. We don’t need to create more of them in order to get a message across.

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However, a recent study shows that Nevada is among the 10 most dangerous states for drivers.

There are a number of reasons why Nevada ranks so high on the list of dangerous places to drive. Those who made the study site the abundance of rural roads, often in the desert where it is very dark, and the huge number of out-of-state visitors who come there to gamble or enjoy the sights. The combination of dark, possible dangerous roads and people who don’t know their way around, are a deadly mix.

There are also the very liberal drinking laws in Nevada and the fact that “partying” is the number one reason visit the state. Even the commercials seem to advertise the fact that people can act with reckless abandon when they visit Nevada, perhaps encouraging people to act in a manner which is anything but safe.

Lets just say that defensive driving is certainly not the topic of conversation when people start talking about a visit to Nevada. It is more likely going to be where to go to have the best time; where to party, where to gamble, where to drink, where to eat or where to see the best shows.

With all this emphasis on having a good time it is no wonder that Nevada does not rank high as a safe state to drive in. In fact, it is more surprising to hear that the state does not rank as the most dangerous state to drive in. Given the sheer volume of distractions a dangerous state seems more likely than a safe state.

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Nevada made news late last year when it passed a law allowing for the licensing of autonomous vehicles to drive on their roadways. Google has been working on an autonomous vehicle for nearly a decade, using on-board computers, GPS navigation ad remote sensors to help it stay on the road, avoid obstacles and find its way around. This means the car can be programmed to go to a certain place, say, a movie theater, restaurant or place of work, and the car will drive itself there. In the meantime, someone will be sitting in the drivers seat in case they need to manually take control of the car, but otherwise, all passengers are free to do what they wish and leave the driving to the robot, I mean car.

Some have questioned the logic of allowing autonomous vehicles and human controlled vehicles on the roads at the same time. In the event of an inadvertent collision, who would be responsible for the damages? If two autonomous vehicles collide, who is responsible then?

Law makers, insurers and automobile manufacturers have been working together to fashion law which addresses these issues and Nevada encapsulated these suggestions into their new law which went into effect this year.

It is believed these autonomous vehicles will soon be ferrying people and cargo around the country, bringing freedom to people who might not otherwise be able to drive themselves where they need to go. In the meantime, despite the rise of autonomous vehicle, there will likely always be a reason and an option for a human beings to drive themselves if they want to.

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Following a record number of traffic deaths in 2006, Nevada created the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan which aimed to cut the number of traffic related fatalities in half by 2030. Ultimately the plan calls for there to be zero traffic related fatalities in the state, but given the sharp increase in deaths seen recently, that goal is still far off. In fact, even the goal of cutting traffic fatalities by half seems a tall order.

Despite these long odds, the Nevada Departments of Public Safety and Transportation offer these public safety reminders for anyone using Nevada roadways, whether for driving, walking, biking or riding:

* Buckle Up — Nearly 50 percent of fatality crashes that Nevada law enforcement agencies investigated in the past year involved unbuckled vehicle occupants. It only takes two seconds to click your seat belt, and the life you save might be your own.

* Don’t Drive Impaired — On average, more than 50 people are arrested daily for driving under the influence in Nevada. A first DUI arrest will likely result in a 90-day loss of driving privileges, an impounded vehicle, legal fees, court costs, two days in jail and attendance at a victim impact panel, with harsher penalties for subsequent offenses.

* Be Pedestrian Safe — In the first quarter of 2012, there were 12 pedestrian deaths on Nevada roads, double the number from the same time last year. Pedestrians should always cross safely, making eye contact with drivers. Drivers should always look for and yield to pedestrians.

* Stay in Your Lane/Keep Your Eyes on the Road — Distracted and/or sleepy driving can lead motorists to unintentionally leave their lane. Put away the distractions and drive with your full attention.

* Stop on Red — In a five-year span, 467 people died in Nevada intersection crashes. Whether at a traffic signal or stop sign, always stop on red.

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Nevada adopted a “zero fatalities” campaign after a record 432 traffic deaths in 2006. This past October they adopted a new law making it illegal to text or talk on a hand-held cellphone while driving. Despite these efforts, traffic deaths have still risen.

Just five years after their record number of traffic deaths, Nevada managed to drop the fatalities to just 246. This precipitous drop was preceded by a campaign to increase awareness of safe driving and a focus on defensive driving skills. The effort by legislators to ban the use of handheld devices and texting and driving in particular was the culmination of years worth of effort and public education.

Nevada state legislators and Nevada police departments have focused primarily on driving safety specifically to reduce the number of traffic related fatalities, yet still, the first quarter of 2012 showed that those efforts have at least a few flaws.

However, the flaws in Nevada’s plans to decrease traffic fatalities have more do with natural factors than with anything the state did or did not do. For instance, a milder than normal winter and an early spring meant more drivers were on the roads during the first quarter of 2012 than usual. This increased number of drivers means the chances of having an accident were increased, through no fault of police or state officials. Also, economic factors have forced more employees to drive further for their work (assuming they found work.) This longer commute puts more drivers on the road for longer periods of time, increasing their exposure to the inherent dangers of driving.

The year is only just beginning and it is too early to know if the upward trend in Nevada traffic fatalities will continue or subside, but knowing where they stand now you can expect that police in the state will likely redouble their efforts to remind drivers that safe driving saves lives.

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That’s right. No drivers required.

Nevada lawmakers sought input from police, insurance carriers and automobile manufacturers before drafting legislation which would regulate these computer controlled, autonomous vehicles, but it passed with an overwhelming majority of support.

Just because we might have fleets of driverless cars on the road sooner than anyone thought possible is no reason for you to stop being a defensive driver, however. In fact, it’s likely an even better reason to drive defensively because you’ll soon be sharing the road with vehicles that simply don’t know any better.

Google, the company known for its near ubiquitous search engine, has been working on the technology to power autonomous vehicles for nearly a decade and they say the time is now to automate some transportation services. They envision a day when cars will drive themselves, thus reducing commuting times, cutting down on emissions and alleviating traffic congestion.

This also means that at least some vehicles will likely still have very real human drivers behind the wheel and that the two will need to find ways to coexist. It is a fact of life that technology is changing our world in ways which have never imagined, but it is no substitute for common sense and excellent driving skills.

So although computer driven cars will likely be joining human powered vehicles on the road sooner, rather than later, you still need to keep your driving skills sharp and your wits about you at all the time.

Remember, they might let a robot drive a car, but they will never require a robot to attend traffic school. At least, not until after they’ve been driving for a while. You, on the other hand, are free to improve your driving skills any time you feel the need.

Image: farconville / FreeDigitalPhotos.net</

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In fact, Rapper, Mogul and Entrepreneur Marion “Suge” Knight learned this very valuable lesson after being stopped by police for a traffic infraction. Police discovered he had a few outstanding traffic warrants, in addition to a new charge for suspicion of marijuana possession, and he was promptly arrested.

The same is true just about any where you drive these days. Many states are also connected to a nationwide data base for traffic infractions, so once you get home your local BMV might just pass along the fines you received while you were out-of-state. In today’s digital age you simply cannot hide from your traffic citations.

Suge was spotted making an illegal turn and changing lanes without signalling on the Veags Strip last week and police immediately pulled him over. A quick check of his license showed his outstanding warrants, one for driving on a suspended license, and he was arrested on the spot. He was later released on $2,600 bail.

There is no reason to let traffic citations pile up and go unanswered. If you get busted by the police for something, even something you consider minor, make certain you find out what you owe, how you pay it, who you pay it to and when it is due. Then get it taken care of. Nothing will spoil your Las Vegas vacation quite like a night in jail and the best way to avoid this is to take care of your business in a timely fashion.

Even if you don’t end up in jail, you will end up on the wrong side of the law, with points piling up on your license and/or your license suspended. So don’t let a traffic citation follow you around forever, because eventually it will catch up with you.

Image: Nikolay / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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The state had an all-time high of traffic related deaths in 2006 of 432. In 2011 just 243 driving-related deaths were reported, down from 257 in 2010.

The continued downward slide in traffic-related deaths is all part of a series of programs initiated in 2006 by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety. Among the areas they focused their efforts on to curb what had been an upward trend in traffic deaths was increased enforcement of existing traffic laws; installation of center line “rumble strips” which alert drivers if they cross it; road safety audits and more flashing yellow lights; and the new handheld device law which took effect this year.

All of these changes came about as part of the Nevada Strategic Highway Safety Plan. This plan calls for a more than 60 percent reduction in highway traffic deaths by 2015, and eventually a zero annual death toll from driving.

That’s one heck of a defensive driving campaign, but so far, their efforts have been successful. Five straight years of decline in traffic-related fatalities seems to indicate that the state is on the right track when it comes to highway safety.

Increased education of drivers has also been a part of their plan, but most drivers don’t need a defensive driving course to understand what is safe, responsible driving and what is a flagrant disregard for the law and the safety and security of others. Although, judging by the number of citations already handed out to enforce their new ban on handheld devices for drivers, at least a few people need a reminder just how dangerous distracted driving can be.

In case you forgot, here’s yours: Distracted driving is WORSE than driving under the influence of alcohol. Do yourself and everyone who shares the road with you a favor, and don’t do it. Besides, it’s against the law to do it in Nevada anyway.

Image: Paul Martin Eldridge / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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