In the case of municipalities, a portion of their revenue stream comes from traffic enforcement, and it’s not a small amount.  Several million dollars per year are collected by municipalities in Clark County alone.  So it seems reasonable to assume that the municipalities would step up traffic enforcement in order to generate additional revenue to cover the shortfalls in the main revenue stream, i.e. gaming/hospitality taxes.  The problem with that concept, is that the Las Vegas economy is derived from entertaining people and attracting tourists, and stepping up enforcement risks putting a damper on the already weakened economy by running off the golden goose: the tourist trade. 

 So what do we make of reports that one court in Clark County had nearly 30,000 fewer traffic cases this year over last?  Should we assume that traffic enforcement has not been stepped up, or that the legendary “quotas” that we all suspect exist, have been lowered?  I wouldn’t make that assumption. 

 The first issue is, that there are fewer cars on the road in Clark County.  With the downturn in the tourist trade, fewer people are coming to Vegas, especially the California trade which largely made their way here in cars via I-15.  Remember the days when you didn’t want to be coming to Vegas from CA on a Friday afternoon, and you didn’t want to be on I-15 heading to CA on a Sunday afternoon?  It was near bumper to bumper for the entire 250 or so miles with occasional jam ups along the way.  Well, it still happens, but very very occasionally anymore. 

 Next, the population of Clark County is actually decreasing.  This is a little secret that doesn’t get much attention.  Gone are the days when people were moving to Vegas at the level of thousands a month.  In fact, some estimate that Clark County has lost as much as 50,000 in population in the last year.  Of course, with those 50,000 people go an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles.  So between the decline in the tourist trade and the reduction in population, there are fewer tickets being written for fewer vehicles on the road.

 All of these facts certainly didn’t stop the cop who gave me a ticket for allegedly failing to stop at a deserted residential stop sign at about 8:30 PM when I was the only vehicle at the intersection.  This was a particularly petty traffic stop, which was part of a trap, as there was a second cop-car at this scene, also with another driver pulled over being likewise victimized.  And I suppose that the world is a safer place because of it.  Luckily, my ticket is being handled by Ticket Busters, and my ticket will be negotiated to a parking violation, and handled without my need to stand in line at the courthouse or miss work to go to court.  Call us at 666-6666.

When I was a young pup, I watched Disneyland on Sunday nights, and I recall one such show that was entitled “SUPERHIGHWAY USA”. In this show, Walt Disney himself, and his henchmen, layed out what was to become our nationwide Interstate highway system. This was, of course, before Cloverleaf Industries could act on their nefarious plan to close down the Red Line and replace it with highways. (oops sorry, getting Disney mixed up with Roger Rabbitt, please disregard from “Cloverleaf Industries” on.) Anyway, back to SuperHighway USA; everything was laid out there: the banked and crowned roadbeds, the acceleration lane and freeway approaches and exits, the gentle curves. Traffic always moved quickly as we watched the model cars moving on and off the demonstration model that was used to instruct us in this new driving method. This was, of course, before freeways turned into parking lots, and commutes turned into multi-hour outings. They didn’t tell us about that in SuperHighway USA. It wasn’t supposed to be like that! Did Walt Disney lie to me? And he was such a nice man…he and that little rodent.

One of the things that was talked about in Super Highway USA, is how all highways of the future, would have multiple lanes and how the right lane was for regular traffic, and the left lane, was for people who were passing or were otherwise moving faster than people in the right lane(s). This became ingrained in my brain through Super Highway USA, through driver’s education and training, and through music. The Eagles even wrote a song called “Life In The Fast Lane.” Were they singing about the lane that has the exit lanes coming off of it, and the approaches emptying into it? No, they were singing about that lane that is farthest away from safety, closest to the approach of opposing traffic at break neck speed, far away from the entries and exits, the dangerous fast lane. So my question is: what happened to the fast lane?

Interestingly, it appears that the fast lane of today, is more often than not, something other than the left lane. Have you noticed this? I guess everyone thinks that the left lane is theirs and that when they are there, that they can go whatever speed they want, even if it’s below the speed limit. WRONG! The left lane is for those of us who can survive out there with the other fast drivers. It is not for the faint of heart. It is certainly no place to be if you’re talking on your cell phone. For more on my cell phone rant, click HERE. The left lane is the place where the law of the jungle prevails, and the law of the Highway Patrol. But today, it is no longer the fast lane. In fact, in my driving, it seems as though the lane that is open most often, where you can pick up some speed and not have many drivers to contend with is now…the right lane. What happened?

So for the foreseeable future, I’m going to be traveling and passing all of you, in the right lane. Perhaps at some future time, the fad will die and it will be cool to be in the right lane again, in which case, I’ll be back where I’m supposed to be, the place Walt Disney told me about, and the Eagles sang to me about, the place of legend and intrigue, the famed real fast lane, the left lane.

 In the past the DMV took a drivers word when it came to proof of insurance, but since we can’t play well with others, we must abide by the new rule and pay.

 Before registering a car with the DMV, you must provide proof of insurance on the vehicle, if you cannot prove you have coverage or your insurance lapses drivers will be fined $250. Nevada Drivers will not have a seven-day grace period anymore.

 The DMV keeps track of lapses in insurance electronically and when lapses occur, it will prompt an automatic bill in the mail.

 So, it sounds like big brother is really looking out for us, or could it be a simple way to generate some state income?

 Either way, I guess it won’t hurt for Nevada drivers to grow up and become responsible adults.

The rider and another person on a motorcycle were speeding northbound on Lorenzi Street near Alta Drive. The car was also going northbound on Lorenzi when the rider hit the car’s back bumper.

According to police, the motorcycle was going so fast, it skidded more than 150 feet before stopping.  

Before riding on the back of a motorcycle with anybody I always ask if they’ve ever been in a motorcycle accident, if their reply is “no,” I don’t ride.

People who have been in motorcycle accidents and survive are most likely to use due care and don’t speed because they have experienced the ramifications.

These accident survivors have encountered one of the most horrific near death experiences- there are no fender benders in an accident involving a motorcycle- because the rider is always the most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, when you are dead there is no time to learn your lesson. Moral of the story- learn from others mistakes.

Our heart goes out to all of their family and friends.

BY BOB SHEMELIGIAN

As local police departments step up traffic enforcement on Southern Nevada’s roadways, nearly a dozen Las Vegas law firms vie for their share of the ever-growing businesses of ticket defense.

They include Ticket Busters, Ticket Terminator, Ticket Doctor and Ticket Eliminators — to name a few.

“I’ve heard of Ticket Ninja and Ticket King,” said Richard Harris, owner of Ticket Busters. “It seems like everyone in Southern Nevada is a ticket lawyer. We’re the ticket law firm capital of the world.”

MIKE STOTTS | LAS VEGAS BUSINESS PRESS Lawyer Richard Harris stands in his Las Vegas firm Nov. 30. He owns Ticket Busters, a business that pleads for deals in court to save clients time, money and driver’s license points.

Despite the cute names, humorous advertising campaigns, easy-to-remember phone numbers and catchy slogans like the mean looking traffic cop saying, “You don’t want to see me in court,” ticket attorneys are serious about business.

“With 2 million people who live in a 24-hour drinking town and drive on surface streets that are big wide freeways, and you add 30 million tourists a year, it gives us a perfect storm,” Harris said.

Records show that in fiscal 2009, the 12-month period ended in June, Las Vegas Justice Court collected nearly $36 million in ticket revenue for violations that occurred in unincorporated Las Vegas, the area generally south of Sahara Avenue.

Revenue for fiscal 2010 is projected to approach $42.5 million.

Harris bought Ticket Busters in April 2007 from attorney Adam Stokes, who now operates Half Price Lawyers. The attorney, who also operates Richard Harris Law Firm and The Defenders, explained that some have the misconception that ticket attorneys are in the business of trying to “fix” tickets. Rather, these attorneys provide a service. They plead for the deals they can get, often saving their clients time, money and driver’s license points.

Not everyone agrees.

In a recent Internet “Ripoff Report,” a Las Vegas woman named Shawna wrote that although Ticket Busters was able to get points removed from her husband’s driving record following a traffic ticket, the husband was required to attend traffic school “which would have removed the points for us anyway!”

Harris counters this claim with several laudatory testimonials on his company’s Web site, ticketbusters.com. He added that all customers of Ticket Busters save time, and some save money and points. In other words — as it is in criminal cases — it’s not up to the attorney to decide the sentence, it’s up to the courts.

“We as professionals in a traffic-related law firm are not going to guarantee any result,” Harris explained. “We handle tickets as any professional would — expeditiously. We save a lot of time, and in many cases our clients receive reduced fines, and no traffic school or points.”

Like other ticket lawyers, Harris or other attorneys at his firm typically attend special sessions before a judge and try to get the best deal they can for their clients. It’s not unusual for these attorneys to try to obtain reduced charges on several tickets at a time. In other words, they plea bargain.

“Many of these violations are in packages,” Harris said. “Some motorists could be hit with several citations. They could include improper lane change, no insurance, signals — I remember one client had seven. When we have this many, we can negotiate, and we do a good job.”

Stokes understands this.

“I’ll go (before the judge) with a stack of 500 tickets and try to get the best deal I can for my clients,” Stokes said. “If I can’t, then I’ll ask the judge to set all 500 cases for trial,”

Stokes, who boasts that he charges only $50 to handle a traffic citation, explained it’s not a matter of threatening a judge with clogging his calendar. Ticket defense goes to the heart of the judicial system — meaning that every defendant, no matter how minor the charge, has a right to an attorney and a right to his day in court.

The attorney also said he’s vigilant about trying to remove points from his clients’ driving records to help keep the clients’ auto insurance rates down.

“I don’t know why the state has an interest in sharing driver’s license information with insurance companies,” said Stokes, who holds master’s of business administration and law degrees from Tulane University.

A competitor to Ticket Busters and Half Price Lawyers is Ticket Terminators, which former insurance agent Kirk Helmick runs from a pink office building at the corner of Flamingo Road and Rainbow Boulevard.

Helmick, a native of Elkins, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Two years ago, he told the Elkins-based Inter-Mountain newspaper that he started the business several years ago after he began selling insurance in Las Vegas. Helmick explained that sometimes his insurance customers would have traffic tickets along with personal injury claims and local attorneys were hired to represent the clients.

“The relationship was working and we had a trade-off,” said Helmick, adding that he would refer personal injury cases to the lawyers who were already handling the tickets. “I decided that I was going to take it to another level.”

Helmick told the Inter-Mountain newspaper he has three attorneys working for him and he does all the marketing. He also said he has a traffic school.

Harris also offers his clients a traffic school. He notes that his online traffic school, which does business as Traffic School Busters, is free. The official name of the online school is gototrafficschool.com.

“There are some courts where traffic school is required if the client wants to remove the points,” Harris said. “And we offer traffic school for free.”

Any attorney would argue that the best way to avoid fines, points and traffic school is to avoid the ticket in the first place.

A few weeks ago, Harris was stopped by a Henderson police officer over a minor traffic violation.

“I got a warning when I told him I owned Ticket Busters,” Harris said.

Bob Shemeligian is a local freelance writer. Send questions or comments

 Cavemen are all shoved into a room and told to get along. Put alcohol and the financial stress into the mix and ummm …maybe some pink golf clubs a certain someone got for Christmas and it’s on like Donkey Kong.

 Take one family for the sacrificial lamb, a brother who’s contemplating divorce from his wife, a sister-in-laws’ sister whose playing hard to get with her ex-boyfriend who brought along his daughter (who just got out of rehab) and grandson.  

 A picture-perfect holiday gathering. Yes, the all-American family.

 Don’t judge if you think this family is dysfunctional. Just wait until next year- one to many appletinis and you are one step away from one very bad mug shot. Stay sober!

Charlie Sheen's MugShot

 According to a Fox 5 reporter, it was a random act; I even heard home invasion thrown around a couple times. But, why does my gut tell me it was not a random act or home invasion, but rather someone with an axe to grind with the young officer. I think this act of violence was personal.

 Police officers write tickets and arrest those who are suspected of committing crimes and most of us take that personal, but we let go because we are sensible- police officers are only doing their job.

 However, it is unsettling when I read about this particular officer’s tragedy and view an RJ reader comment say, “Anytime a cop is killed is a good day.”

 Really…these men and women still have family and friends who love them, they have kids, and a wife who is relieved when she hears the garage door open and shut to mean that her husband has made it home safe for one more day. 

 When it comes to a tragedy that strikes a police officer, it seems these men and women in uniform get less sympathy from our community.

 Over the past couple of months we have had two officers die while on duty because they were speeding in their patrol car.

  If it were a civilian who got killed after speeding, the community would not hold back on the outpouring of sympathy.

 Yet, some people were reluctant to show compassion towards these officers because of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. We must remember that police officers are human, they have families they love, they speed, they make mistakes, and sometimes they even take a bullet in the place of someone else.

 My sympathies go out to the METRO officer’s family and friends.