A satisfying venture into politics' left-turn lane

Here's what the Nevada Legislature is all about:

A Carson High School student, Sean Carter, sees a problem he thinks ought to be fixed.

He makes it his senior project, does the research and presents a solution.

Assemblyman Ron Knecht, R-Carson City, introduces the bill (AB414), invites Sean in front of the Assembly Transportation Committee, and backs him up with his own arguments in favor.

That deserves an A all around.

It'll be even better if the Legislature actually passes the legislation.

Sean's issue is the Nevada law making it illegal to turn left into the center lane (designated for left turns for the through traffic) and then merge into traffic from there.

We're not sure how big a problem this is elsewhere, but in Carson City it's pretty much impossible to make a left turn onto Carson Street anywhere there's not a signal without some form of this maneuver. It happens a few thousand times a day, we'd estimate.

Rarely does anybody get cited for it, which is a good thing. So the Legislature might as well change the law to reflect what motorists already believe to be an accepted practice and understand to be the safest way to make such a turn.

And because it's kind of complicated to explain, they might as well define it in the Rules of the Road as a "Carter turn" and be done with it.

Yes, it would satisfying to see a simple problem get a simple fix through the efforts of a high-school student and his state assemblyman. That's how the Legislature should work, in our rosy view of the world.

Of course, it doesn't usually happen that way. There's all the politics and the vote-swapping and the groveling for money. It's just nice to see that it still can work.