These are the 6 worst habits of Las Vegas drivers

If you’ve lived in Nevada for more than five minutes, you’ve seen somebody do something stupid, dangerous or insane on valley roadways.

Usually all three at once.

There’s a lot of reasons for bad Las Vegas driving — people are from other places, and their home-state driving styles don’t mesh here in the desert. The near-constant construction on valley streets — sometimes even with actual workers! — makes for an aggravating commute.

But no matter why, if you’re going to drive in Las Vegas, you should prepare yourself for things that would make Gandhi himself go on a tri-state killing spree after just a couple of weeks.

Here’s a partial list of some of the worst Las Vegas driving behaviors we’ve observed.

Fast-lane campers

These are the folks who get into the No. 1 lane (closest to the center median), otherwise known as the passing lane, and drive the speed limit while dozens of cars swerve to pass them on the right. Big-rig truckers are notorious for this on Interstate 15, as they work to avoid the congestion created by cars merging on and off the freeway along the Strip. These drivers justify this bad behavior by saying they are going the speed limit and if anybody is going faster than that, then they are breaking the law. The traffic law, maybe, but not natural law, which dictates that slower traffic should keep right. Pro tip: If everybody on a freeway is going faster, then you are the problem.

No turn signals

Las Vegas drivers operate on the presumption espoused by Al Pacino in “The Godfather Part III:” Never let anyone know what you’re thinking. They change lanes without the slightest clue, much less an actual turn signal. In their defense, if they did use a turn signal, the person in the next lane would probably speed up to prevent them from getting over, another feature of Las Vegas driving which holds that roads are a zero-sum game: If you aren’t first, you’re last. So always assume that any car can (and usually will) make any movement possible without warning at any moment. And, of course, you can’t drive on Las Vegas streets for long before you see a car with the left-turn signal on while it’s turning right. It’s the Sun Tzu school of driving, since all driving, like warfare, is based on deception.

Line beaters

We all see it: A lane is closed up ahead. Signs warn about it. The flashing arrow sign shows it. Cones and barrels alert you to it. But many Las Vegas drivers will come just inches from the closed lane before they decide to get over, rather than merge farther back to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. To be fair, transportation authorities such as the Nevada Department of Transportation encourage this so-called “zipper merge,” but they are usually the people who have hopelessly screwed up the road in the first place, so taking advice from them is like attending a lecture on humanism from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. So be prepared to either let these line-jumpers in at the last possible second, or stand your ground and risk a collision.

Distracted driving

Using a handheld cell phone to make calls or send texts has been illegal in Nevada since 2011, but very few people pay attention to that law. In fact, if somebody is driving too slow, failing to maintain their travel lane, or weaving between lanes, they’re more likely to be texting than drunk. The fines for violations ($50 for a first offense within a seven-year period, $100 for a second offense and $250 for a third and subsequent offense) don’t exactly discourage the practice. And drivers are not exactly shy about it, holding the phone up in plain view for anybody to see, save for the police officers who never seem to be around when you witness this particular form of enraging road behavior.

I’m coming in, so brake!

This one happens often on major surface streets: Drivers will jump into traffic from a shopping center or strip mall going about 10 mph, directly into the path of oncoming traffic going 45 mph, causing people to slam on their brakes to avoid a collision. The offending driver would most likely say he or she didn’t see the oncoming traffic, or misjudged the speed/distance of it, but the reality is, most people just don’t want to wait, so they cut in and leave the braking to others. So be on high alert when traveling in the curb lane on any major street in town.

Red-light runners

This happens all the time, as the last four, five or six cars to arrive at an intersection blow through after the light has turned red, so they don’t have to wait for the next cycle. And in fairness, the lights in this town are so poorly synchronized, you can almost forgive the red-light runners, especially those who realize that, if you run just that one red light, you will hit every green light on that street for the rest of your journey. But it is dangerous, since the other impatient drivers have been awaiting their green like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. So just remember this sage advice: Treat every red like a stop sign, and give a second or two before proceeding. You’ll probably get honked at, but it’s better than getting T-boned by a speeding red-light runner.

Have you seen poor driver behavior on the valley’s roads? (Who are we kidding, of course you have!) Send us an email at the address below and we’ll consider your submissions for a future piece. And stay safe out there.

Contact Steve Sebelius at SSebelius@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253. Follow @SteveSebelius on Twitter.