The Carson City Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone that the new school year starts on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. Our School Resource Officers, Traffic Units, and Patrol Deputies will be teaming up to monitor and enforce all school zone laws for this school calendar year.

We would like to provide the community with some helpful school zone traffic safety laws. Nevada law prohibits drivers from driving faster than 15 miles per hour in posted school zones. School zones are sections of streets which are adjacent to school properties. School zone flashers or flashing yellow lights, accompanied by the school zone speed limit, turn on when the school zone is active.

Drivers are not allowed to make U-turns or pass other vehicles in active school zones or school crossing zones. Crossing guards will be in the areas situated near elementary schools to provide additional traffic safety for the younger students crossing in the marked crosswalks.

Do not pass a school bus with red flashing lights. Children are exiting the bus and may dart out into the street. Please be patient and mindful of the students, crossing guards, and other parents dropping off their children within our school zones.

Law enforcement personnel will continue to enforce traffic safety laws year-round as part of their commitment to reduce accidents and save lives. Whether you’re the driver, a passenger, or student, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone to make safety on our roadways their top priority.

Please contact Sergeant Olson at solson@carsoncity.org or 775-283-7887 if you have any questions.

Western Nevada Safe Routes to School provides back-to-school safety reminders for new law AB6

Western Nevada Safe Routes to School is launching a vital public awareness campaign this month across Northern Nevada to educate driver’s on strict traffic laws as students return to the classroom.

Motorists will face significantly harsher penalties in school zones starting this school year due to the implementation of Assembly Bill 6 (AB6 from the 2025 Special Session of the Nevada Legislature), a new safety law designed to protect children, families, and crossing guards during their daily commutes.

Under the newly enacted laws, traffic violations committed within active school zones and school crossing zones may now carry double the standard fines and double the demerit points on a motorists’s driver’s license.

“Every child in Nevada deserves a safe journey to and from school,” said Coordinator Erica Roselius. “We ask drivers to put down their phones, eliminate distractions, follow posted speeds and share the road responsibly.”

To help drivers navigate the school year safely and avoid costly citations, Western Nevada Safe Routes to School highlights these essential rules of the road:

Strict Speed Limits: Drivers must slow down to 15 mph in posted school zones when yellow beacons flash, or children are present.
Absolutely No U-Turns: Making a U-turn within any active school zone or school crossing zone is always prohibited.
No Passing or Overtaking: Drivers are legally forbidden from passing another vehicle traveling in the same direction within an active schoolzone, including on multi-lane streets.
Stopping for School Buses: Motorists in both directions must stop for a school bus with extended stop arms and flashing red lights, unless they are travelling on a divided highway with a physical median.

For information on local Western Nevada Safe Routes to School programming or school zone hours, visit the official Western Nevada Safe Routes to School website or contact Coordinator Erica Roselius at wnsrts@carsoncity.gov or (775) 283-7396.