texting

The Holidays are a rush. We rush to get to the stores, home, and to our friends and families residences when we are ready to celebrate. With all the distractions that come with this holiday season are you remembering to buckle up?

You are not the only one on the road who is in a hurry and not paying full attention to their driving. One wrong lane change, excessive speed, running of a red light or just not stopping for that stop sign can lead to a crash.

A Carson City man who had a felony warrant for possession of stolen property was arrested Monday at a Brick Road resident on suspicion of felony domestic battery with strangulation, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Stephen Mendes, 42, is being held on $35,000 bail. According to the arrest report, officers were called to the 5000 block of Brick Road for a report of domestic battery. Officers arrived and met with Mendes and asked what happened.

If you are distracted while driving you could be involved in a car crash. Whether you are talking on your cell phone, texting while driving, putting on make-up, reading or any other action that takes your attention away from the roadway, you are putting yourself at risk when operating a motor vehicle.

The most current figures show that in 2012 3,328 people were killed in distraction affected crashes (National Highway Traffic Safety Association).

Several northern Nevada law enforcement agencies will team up and “Joining Forces” this Independence Day as an additional security measure in providing for a safe holiday weekend.

On Friday afternoon and evening, police officers from the Reno and Sparks Police Departments, deputies from the Washoe, Lyon and Douglas County Sheriff’s Offices, and troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol will conduct a DUI road block on Highway 50 in Douglas County near Lake Tahoe. Motorists passing through the checkpoint will be briefly greeted by one of the law enforcement officers.

On Friday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 27 the Carson City Sheriff’s Office will conduct saturation patrols in the Carson City area.

Deputies will be looking for individuals who are talking or texting on their cell phones while operating motor vehicles. These patrols are designed to help reduce crashes, said Carson City Sheriffs Office Sgt. Scott McDaniel.

Immunize Nevada and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health met Tuesday at Carson Tahoe Women’s Health Institute for an event to educate Nevadans about Text4baby and to encourage expecting and first time mothers to do something for themselves this Mother’s Day and enroll in Text4baby.

The speakers, including Senator Ben Kieckhefer, from Washoe District 16; Vickie Ives, a representative from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health; and Julia Peek, a mother of two and Text4baby user, spoke about the benefits of the program in helping build strong Nevada families.

Robert Edwin Deuel, 43, of Dayton, was arrested Friday afternoon in the 3300 block of Highway 50 East for felony extortion and gross misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon.

According to the arrest report, Carson City Sheriff deputies were concluding a traffic stop on Arrowhead Drive when a woman approached them with information about vehicle that had recently been stolen from her. She said Deuel had contacted her, and said he would take her to the car if she paid him money.

Deputies see it everyday, drivers talking on their cell phones or texting while driving. What’s the big deal? Well for one thing, it is illegal but, it also distracts you from concentrating on the roadway and traffic ahead of you.

Five seconds to send a quick text is equal to the length of a football field when driving 55 miles per hour. That’s how long your eyes are off the road. The average text conversation lasts about three minutes.

Several northern Nevada law enforcement agencies will be teaming up and “joining forces” by staffing a DUI checkpoint in Reno this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon and evening, law enforcement personnel from the Reno and Sparks Police Departments, UNR Police Services, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, and Nevada Highway Patrol will be conducting the administrative road block.

Douglas County has re-launched last year’s popular budget challenge again, inviting citizens to an online conversation that will harness their input on the County budget.

Residents can participate in one of the budgeting exercises centered on the question, “How would you spend $500 to fund what is most important to you in Douglas County?”

Residents will also have the opportunity to make general comments about the budget process, upload photos or videos to illustrate their concerns or suggestions and put a value on the priorities they think are most important.

October is “Walktober” in Carson City and nationally as a campaign is underway to get more people out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9 children and their parents from around Carson City are encouraged to participate in "Walk to School Day," a coordinated celebration spearheaded by Carson City Health and Human Services and the Carson City School District. See the proclamation below.

WHUMP! followed by the sound of tires screeching and broken glass. That is what I expected to hear when I watched the pedestrian cross against the red light and walk into the travel lanes as traffic approached.

What made this worse was the fact that it was at night and the man was wearing dark clothing which made him all but invisible to oncoming vehicles. The truck ahead of me did not see this individual and, at the last moment, the man jumped out of the way to avoid being struck.

Driving a vehicle is very interesting and often an adventure in Carson City. I have found that when driving in our fair city, you must be on your toes at all times and be ready to react to whoever is approaching from any direction.

In my less-than-humble opinion, Carson City has more than its fair share of dumb, stupid, indifferent, inattentive, careless, reckless and rude drivers; and I seem to encounter many of them when driving around town.

Here are some examples of what I have experienced around Carson City – Do any of these sound familiar to you?

The Nevada Highway Patrol will be stepping up enforcement efforts on US 50 effective today through August 12, 2013. These efforts will emphasize on stopping and citing motorists who exceed the posted speed limit; in addition to the speed enforcement campaign, troopers will be looking closely at other traffic violations such as reckless or aggressive driving, Driving Under the Influence, following too closely, talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone and lane change violations.

Several northern Nevada law enforcement agencies will be teaming up and “Joining Forces” this Independence Day as an additional security measure in providing for a safe holiday weekend.

On Thursday afternoon and evening, police officers from the Reno and Sparks Police Departments, deputies from the Washoe and Lyon County Sheriff’s Offices, and troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol will be conducting the administrative road block on US Highway 50 in Douglas County.

April is National Distracted Driving Month and the Nevada Highway Patrol will be implementing a zero-tolerance enforcement period next week, April 22-26, as a strict traffic safety initiative to hopefully curtail the use of hand-held phones while motorists are driving. Troopers around the Silver State are still continuing to observe motorists texting, talking, and reading non-voice communications despite the fact this behavior became illegal over 15 months ago.

A 28-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Saturday morning on misdemeanor charges after he allegedly stalked his ex-girlfriend, made threats, obsessively sent text messages and then shattered the glass door of her home after punching it.

Using your cell phone without a hands free device while driving has been illegal in Nevada for more than a year.
Assembly Bill 123 could take the law one step further.
If passed, the bill would make it illegal for pedestrians to read, browse the Internet, or text on wireless devices, if they're crossing any state road, even in residential areas.

Troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol issued nearly 12,000 traffic citations to motorists observed talking, texting or reading non-voice communication while operating a motor vehicle on Nevada’s highways in 2012.

Thirty of the offenders last year received their second citation for the same offense with 25 of those witnessed on their phone for a third time and cited once more. In all, as of Dec. 26, 2012, there were 11,992 citations issued.

The Center for Research Design and Analysis was contracted by the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety to conduct a telephone survey about Nevadans' driving behavior and attitudes. The objectives of this survey included gathering behavioral self-reported and opinion data on key safety issues, such as impaired driving, safety belts, speeding, and distracted driving. The OTS also was interested in examining the effect that a "Click it or Ticket" (CIOT) campaign had on respondents' answers to safety belt questions. The CIOT campaign ran from May 21, 2012 through June 3, 2012.

Western Nevada College students who are beginning fall classes should be better able to succeed, thanks to a new admission and college preparation process.

‘Project Graduate’ is reinventing the way new degree and certificate-seeking students are preparing for classes. In addition, WNC now requires advising services to new students before they register.

“It’s changed our admissions process, changed our entire counseling and advising processes,” said Deborah Case, director of Counseling Services. “It’s very impactful in the way we do business for new students.”

The Nevada Departments of Transportation and Public Safety, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Reno Police are reminding motorists that handheld cellphone use while driving is illegal.

For those of you who must text while driving, be prepared to pony up a fine starting New Years Day.

Since Oct. 1, Nevada Highway Patrol troopers have been giving out warning for texting while driving, writing up more than 600 warnings in the Reno-Carson City area. But the warnings come to an end on Sunday. This also applies to those who use a cell phone without a hands-free device.

With the end-of-the-year holiday season upon us along with heavy traffic anticipated on the roadways and highways this four-day weekend, the Nevada Highway Patrol would like to share the following travel and traffic-related safety tips for motorists:

• If you are making a journey when inclement weather is anticipated, especially over any of the mountain passes, be sure to check the most highways conditions by dialing 511 or by clicking on www.nevadadot.com
• Always wear a seat belt and be certain all vehicle occupants are properly restrained

A Carson City Sheriff's deputy driving down North Carson Street Thursday afternoon spotted a driver texting while driving, a violation of the new law that went into effect Oct. 1.

According to the arrest report, the driver, Gilberto Paredes-Estrada, 27, of Carson City, was found to have a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest. He also allegedly gave the deputy a false ID, a felony. He was arrested and put on Immigration Customs Enforcement hold.

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Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Department of Public Safety and Transportation are this weekend reminding Nevada drivers that handheld cellphone use while driving is now prohibited in the state.

Governor Brian Sandoval, the Nevada Departments of Public Safety and Transportation and other traffic safety partners held an event in Carson City to remind drivers that handheld cellphone use while driving is prohibited in the state as of Oct. 1.

As of Oct. 1, law enforcement is giving motorists a warning for driving while talking, typing or reading on a handheld cellphone or similar device. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, fines of up to $250, depending on the number of offenses, will be imposed for any driver using a handheld phone or device to talk, type or read.

If you’re spending Labor Day weekend in rural Nevada, beware. Drivers are more than twice as likely to die in a car crash on a rural road than on other roads throughout the state.

CARSON CITY – Brian Sandoval became the first governor in the nation to be “taken for a ride” in Google’s self-driving car.
Sandoval went for a ride in the modified Toyota Prius from the capital city halfway through the Washoe Valley before returning to the Department of Motor Vehicles office where the car and a duplicate were on display.

Nevadans will be barred from texting while driving, allowed to order food in smoking bars, and spared from a hike in their utility bills after Gov. Brian Sandoval finished processing bills from the...