Troopers to increase patrols through weekend

The Nevada Highway Patrol will have additional troopers working traffic enforcement this weekend, and NHP spokesman Trooper Chuck Allen asked that the public participate in identifying impaired drivers.

“On a daily basis our DPS Communications Center receives calls from the public of motorists driving in a reckless manner. With the potential for more impaired or drunken drivers (this weekend), here is a sample of the common violations or driving behaviors that we are looking for in identifying a suspected drunk driver,” Allen said in a news release.

• Unable or failure to maintain a travel lane

• Erratic driving to include speeding/traveling well under the posted speed limit

• Failure to signal prior to making a lane change

• Driving during darkness with no headlights

• Failure to yield to pedestrians, stop signs, traffic signals

• Unsafe passing on two-lane highways (alcohol-related head-on collisions)

• Vehicle stopped at a green traffic light

To report a suspected drunken or impaired driver, motorists are encouraged to call NHP by dialing *647 from any cellular phone.

This number will automatically connect you to a dispatcher who will assist in assigning a trooper the call.

According to Allen, information such as a vehicle description, license plate, location, direction of travel are some of the questions that will be asked. The dispatcher will then ask you to continue to stay on the phone as the closest trooper is dispatched to the call.

Allen said that once the trooper identifies the suspect car, the caller will most likely be asked to pull in behind the NHP cruiser once the traffic stop is initiated. The trooper will then make contact with the reporting party to identify what violations were committed, ask for a written statement, and then take the appropriate enforcement action.