LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada State Police are monitoring a stretch of I-15 south of Saint Rose Parkway, where drivers are known to speed into the Las Vegas Valley.
“Typically, most of them are going to be from California, coming in,” said Trooper Jeff Thyr. “I think people have been on the road for multiple hours at this point, and they see the city lights, especially at nighttime, and they’re tired of driving.”
FOX5 joined Thyr as he monitored driver speeds along the stretch Wednesday. Within 10 minutes, he clocked a driver traveling 99 mph, nearly 30 miles per hour over the speed limit.
“We know this is a known problem location. We usually start our day here, end our day here,” Thyr said.
In his six years as a state trooper, Thyr said he has heard numerous excuses from speeding drivers. He described one incident from the same area involving a college student who claimed he was conducting a quantum physics experiment.
“I had a college student tell me that he’s studying quantum physics, and then he actually was conducting a test to see if his speed would change the watch time on his watch compared to the clock back at home,” Thyr said. “He was doing over 100 miles an hour, and I said, ‘I think you need to go a little quicker to actually change time for yourself.’”
Trooper Shawn Haggstrom said their speed enforcement efforts are often concentrated in areas with a higher number of speed-related crashes, high traffic volume, or construction zones.
Along this stretch of I-15, troopers see speeds over 100 mph daily, with some drivers reaching even higher speeds on weekends.
“Occasionally, once in a while, on a weekend, they might get a 115, a 124,” Hagstrom said.
Drivers traveling over 100 mph could receive a reckless driving citation, meaning they can be arrested and have their vehicle towed, he said.
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