Traffic Safety

CARSON CITY — Doctors and traffic safety researchers urged Nevada lawmakers Thursday to pass a bill making seat belt violations a primary offense, but opponents countered the change would lead to profiling and infringe on personal choice.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada Department of Transportation is celebrating 100 years with historical photos and timeline posted on the Department’s website, as well as an invitation for Nevadans to share their state transportation memories.

The Nevada Department of Transportation this week launched a newly-redesigned nevadadot.com website providing quicker and easier access to Nevada road information.

Over the next two weeks and especially this Friday, St. Patrick's and through the weekend, motorists in Carson City, Reno, Douglas, Lyon and Churchill counties can expect to see additional law enforcement presence.

More than two dozen law enforcement agencies statewide, including the Carson City Sheriff's Office, will be Joining Forces to crack down on drivers exceeding speed limits or driving too fast for road conditions during the first two weeks of March.

UPDATE 12:40AM: Road crews from California and Nevada announced late Tuesday that both sections of Highway 50 are open after rock and mud slides closed parts of the highway down last week. The latest is Highway 50 west of South Lake Tahoe which is now open, according to CalTrans. The road reopened at 10:32 p.m. Tuesday night, where it had been closed from Pollock Pines to Strawberry due to multiple mudslides.
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Highway 50 connecting Carson City to Stateline and south shore Lake Tahoe has reopened as of Tuesday night. The Nevada Department of Transportation announced the highway has open lanes in each direction north of the Cave Rock tunnel.

While there is no estimated time of reopening the roadway, the Nevada Department of Transportation continues to make progress removing monolithic-size boulders which fell onto U.S. 50 north of the Cave Rock area of Lake Tahoe.

For safety, the Nevada Department of Transportation has temporarily closed U.S. 50 in the Cave Rock area of Lake Tahoe following five large boulders which have fallen onto the roadway.

UPDATE 1:40PM: The Nevada Department of Transportation has removed the large boulder that fell this morning, blocking one eastbound lane of U.S. 50 in Lake Tahoe. No vehicles were involved in the slide, and no injuries were reported.

Over the next two weeks and this coming Super Bowl weekend, Carson City residents can expect to see double or even triple the normal law enforcement presence.

The number of traffic fatalities in Carson City and throughout Nevada rose in 2016 compared with data from 2015, statistics from the Nevada Departments of Transportation and Public Safety show.

State Route 207 Kingsbury Grade from the summit down to the Carson Valley floor will be closed to traffic "through the coming weeks" due to a sinkhole caused by an eroding drainage pipe under the roadway, the Nevada Department of Transportation said Tuesday.

Denim is now the state’s official fabric to recognize its role in California history, and every autographed collectible sold in California must come with a certificate that verifies it's not a forgery. Those are just two of 898 new laws facing Californians in 2017.

Drive High, Get a DUI, is the message the Nevada Highway Patrol and Nevada Office of Traffic Safety want Nevadans to remember as the use of recreational marijuana becomes legal Jan. 1, 2017 in Silver State.

A new traffic signal about to open Wednesday at the intersection of East College Parkway and Research Way in Carson City will help address a significant safety concern related to that area, said Carson City Transportation Manager Patrick Pittenger.

Each year, the holiday brings an increase of alcohol consumption, resulting in the surge of injuries and fatalities on Nevada’s roadways. With impaired driving and riding a top traffic problem for Nevada, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office is working in conjunction with agencies statewide aligned with Joining Forces to boost enforcement efforts from Dec. 16, 2016 through Jan. 3, 2017.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office will be looking for motorists and occupants who are not buckled up while traveling as part of a statewide "Click it or Ticket" seat belt safety campaign running now through Dec. 10.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. the Carson City Sheriff’s Office will deploy deputies throughout Carson City in attempt to locate distracted drivers, mainly drivers talking or texting on cellular phones. The funding for this operation is provided by a Joining Forces grant.

Law enforcement agencies statewide will be Joining Forces and focusing on distracted drivers beginning Wednesday through Nov. 13. The Nevada Highway Patrol will be working diligently to urge motorists to keep your eyes on the road and put away cell phones or other items that cause distractions.

Carson City Sheriff’s Office has received a $41,000 grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety to support the Sheriff’s Office participation in Joining Forces traffic safety campaigns during the coming year.

Over the next two weeks, residents can expect to see double the normal law enforcement presence around the area. Carson City Sheriff’s Office is Joining Forces with law enforcement agencies statewide to crack down on impaired driving, and has an important message for the public: if you’ll be drinking, designate a sober driver, and if you drive impaired, you will be arrested.

Scott McDaniel, a patrol sergeant for Carson City Sheriff’s Office was recognized recently at a statewide conference of Joining Forces law enforcement agencies.

During the conference held in Las Vegas, Sgt. McDaniel — a law officer for nearly 35 years — was awarded Outstanding Joining Forces Coordinator of the Year for the state of Nevada, one of five different awards presented at the gathering.

Streets and sidewalks around Carson City will be busier starting Monday morning as children throughout the district head back to school.

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition has launched a multimedia education campaign to promote safe bicycling for Tahoe visitors and residents.

“We hope these safety tips help ensure people enjoy riding their bicycles at Lake Tahoe,” said Curtis Fong, vice president of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. “This is the greatest and most beautiful place in the world to ride a bike, and we want to help make sure that bicyclists are aware of safe riding practices when bicycling on roadways or bike paths around Lake Tahoe.”

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office along with other law enforcement agencies throughout Nevada will be participating in Joining Forces through the remainder of July.

The focus of the event will be distracted drivers. The Carson City Sheriff’s Office reminds motorists to “Keep your eyes on the road, and put away cell phones and other items that cause distractions.”

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office, along with other law enforcement agencies throughout Nevada, are participating in Joining Forces through the month of June with a special emphasis on speeding drivers.

Last week’s crosswalk safety operation was a wakeup call for Carson City. In just under 8 hours on June 9, 62 citations were issued to motorists who failed to stop for a Carson City Sheriff’s Office employee, clad in bright orange, who crossed area crosswalks.

Thursday, however, was a completely different story.

More than two dozen law enforcement agencies statewide and the Nevada Highway Patrol will be Joining Forces to crack down on drivers exceeding speed limits or driving too fast for road conditions from June 14 thru June 30, 2016.

There were 62 citations given Thursday by Carson City Sheriff's Office deputies as part of the Joining Forces pedestrian safety event held at various crosswalks, said Sgt. Scott McDaniel.

Carson City has had many pedestrian involved crashes in recent years, with some of those resulting in tragedy. So far this year, there have been three pedestrian related fatalities in Carson City. In 2014 there was one fatality and in 2015 there was one.