LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — More than 100 flights were delayed and five were cancelled out of Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Eve as the FAA expects this to be the busiest Turkey Day travel period in 15 years.
AAA forecasts that between Wednesday and Monday, almost 82 million people will venture at least 50 miles from home. That would set an all-time record for Thanksgiving holiday travel.
Zero-tolerance enforcement on I-15
Tens of thousands of Californians are expected to spend their holiday in Nevada. Both California Highway Patrol and Nevada Highway Patrol will be looking for drivers trying to get to Vegas too quickly. Nevada Highway Patrol and California Highway Patrol are teaming up along Interstate 15.
NHP is increasing patrols from St. Rose Parkway to the state line. Earlier this month, state troopers used radar guns in the area, clocking drivers in the area known for speeds topping 100 mph.
“I think people see the city lights… and they are tired of driving,” said Trooper Jeff Thyr of Nevada Highway Patrol who clocked one driver at 99mph as FOX5 watched on.
Through Sunday night, state police say I-15 from south of the valley to Primm will be a zero-tolerance area for speed, reckless and impaired driving, and distracted driving. All violations will be enforced.
DMV compliance officers target registration violations
“In areas like this where it is high density, you really don’t have to look too hard to find something that is going to stand out,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.
In the Metro area, DMV compliance officers are looking for drivers with expired registration or no plates. They set up a database for the public to report these violations, and the response has been overwhelming.
“I think we’re six weeks in. We’ve got over 16,000,” said Decker. “We designed the system to be sortable by county because we thought that would be the most practical way to distribute the information. So we submitted the county breakdowns today.”
The database of 16,000 tips is now being distributed to law enforcement across the state.
Travel timing recommendations
RTC’s travel forecast shows that Wednesday through Friday looks to be a good time to drive. However, travelers should avoid driving from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
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