Receiving a traffic citation in Las Vegas, Nevada can be very irritating and expensive experience. Especially if you did not commit the violation you are being cited for! This regretful experience may be something that riders of bicycles and motorcycles become victim to with a recent passed law by the Nevada legislature. Assembly Bill 117 allows riders of bicycles and motorcycles to proceed through a red light, under certain circumstances. If the rider makes a complete stop at a red light and two complete signal cycles occur without a green light, the rider can proceed straight or turn left while yielding to pedestrians and other traffic.
The reasoning behind this law is simple; motorcycles, bicycles, scooters and three-wheeled vehicles lack the metal surface area of cars and trucks and don’t always trigger sensors to activate signals, according to Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson. If the sensors are not triggered an individual riding a motorcycle may be stuck a red light for some time. Now, this new law sounds like a simple solution to a simple problem. But, one has to wonder, what happens when a police officer witnesses a motorist go through a red light? Unless the officer actually witnessed the complete stop and two light cycles with no green, how is the officer to know whether or not an individual is breaking the law? Police officers are trained to initiate contact when they believe criminal activity is afoot, whether or not they actually witnessed a crime, therefore I believe, this new law could potentially lead to citizens getting pulled over and detained by officers without actually committing an offense. And, if the Officer did not see you wait for your two cycles, what is to stop them from issuing you a citation?
The law’s intent to alleviate frustration of drivers of these protected vehicles is good. But, for those citizens who do not want to be detained by police and risk receiving an expensive traffic citation, I would caution against running a red light even if allowed under certain circumstances under the law.
-Michael A. Troiano, Esq.
Attorney at Law
Source: Las Vegas Sun