When most people think of entertainment in Las Vegas, they most likely picture lavish productions featuring feathered showgirls, if they even think past the gambling tables at all. But if you venture outside the casinos, you’ll discover a different kind of jackpot in the vast array of one-of-a-kind adventures found across Sin City. In this series, we’re taking a look at some of the recent attractions profiled in The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2020, starting with this video review of the Police Chase Experience Las Vegas.
Have you ever watched a high-speed car chase on television and wished you were part of the pursuit, either on the side of the law or as the fleeing bandit? In real life, grand theft auto is more enjoyable as a video game than as a criminal conviction. But an outfit located at the Las Vegas Speedway can now offer the next best thing to living out your Bonnie and Clyde fantasies on the city streets.
Police Chase Experience Las Vegas uses a custom-designed road course and authentic retired police driving instructors to teach civilians the same pursuit tactics and pit maneuvers used by law enforcement professionals. Training begins with an instructional video narrated by Erik Estrada of CHiPs fame.
Then you move behind the wheel with an experienced instructor in the passenger seat. Drivers learn to take sharp 180-degree S-curves without spinning out (hopefully), then experience what it’s like to be rammed off the road at 30 miles per hour.
You can pick between driving a getaway sports car with a higher top end or pursing in a cop cruiser with plenty of torque, plus sirens and lights you can play with. You won’t walk away ready to join the highway patrol after a handful of hot laps, but you will receive a serious adrenaline rush—and a better appreciation for what those high-speed chases you see on the news are really like.
Here’s a passenger-view video featuring the Police Chase Experience driving course. Just be aware that mere images don’t do justice to the intense lateral G-forces participants feel as the car skids through the curves!
The experience costs $125-$500 and takes up to an hour, depending on which optional elements you pay for. Be warned that the Police Chase is hard to find and a bit anemic on directional signage; we kept circling the speedway complex until we spotted several police cars.
For all there is to see and do in Las Vegas, check out The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas by Bob Sehlinger and Seth Kubersky. If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to our YouTube channel and sign up for our newsletter here. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
