Laughlin, Nevada Speed Traps

This has been listed here as far back as 2010, and it is still providing regular royalties to the city of Laughlin. No police, ever, out on that Needles Highway. But as soon as you turn right, the posted speed limit drops to 35, and three (3), yes I encountered three, of Laughlin’s finest cheery picking CA drivers eager to spend money, or in my case eager to find a bathroom. This is a non-residential and non-commercial area. There is no foot traffic, seldom vehicles, no traffic hazards, never construction signs. For no legitimate reason, the posted speed limit drops from 55 from 35. This stretch of Casino Drive, if not designed for, continues apparently as the preferred method of city revenue generation for nearly a decade.

You can take I-40 one exit past River Road and take the J street exit and follow the signs to the Hwy 95 to Bullhead City to avoid all of Laughlin’s speed traps. You can also go two exits past River Road to Broadway and turn left to eliminate the longer route through Needles to get into Arizona. You can then turn on Hwy 163 to go over the Riverside Bridge to casino row. The road is the improved 4 lane Hwy 95 and well maintained, Speed limits are higher, gas is a dollar cheaper in Arizona, and you will avoid most of Laughlin’s ticket traps.

Coming off the winding roads of Needles Hwy (where the speed limit is 55 for about 40 min.), heading north into the casino strip of Laughlin (where the speed limit suddenly drops to 35), there’s one of Laughlin’s finest waiting – in the dark and at the bottom of a hill – for out of towners to issue the city’s tax for visiting. Good luck fighting the ticket – you have to contest it in person, but you’ll have to wait two weeks for Laughlin Justice Court to receive and process the ticket. It’s such an obvious and blatant speed trap, it hardly seems legal.

All speed limits were raised due to these complaints. Speeds from Calif state line to Casino Dr on Needles Hwy are now 55mph. Needles Hwy thru the residential/commercial zone is 45mph. From Woodbury on, Needles Hwy is again 55mph. Casino Drive’s south end is still 35mph due to soft sand shoulders and relatively narrow right-of-way. Local patrols still work Hwy 163 to Vegas and the 35mph zone on South Casino Dr.

Turning off to El mirage Way ( which turns into James A. Bilbray Pkwy) becomes a 25 MPH area and is patrolled by officers hidden in depressions and curves both day and night.