Carson City Public Works and the Western Nevada Safe Routes to School (WNSRTS) program are launching a comprehensive Traffic Safety Campaign that began in October and will continue through September 2027.

Operating throughout Carson City, the initiative combines student safety, education, multi-agency task force initiatives, and public outreach. This program aims to eliminate preventable road injuries and fatalities, making city streets safer for everyone from youth to seniors.

The campaign responds to data from 2019 to 2023, which recorded 11 fatalities and 31 serious injuries among local pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Driven by speeding, low visibility, and right-of-way confusion, the initiative utilizes $21,000 in federal grant funding paired with a $7,000 local match. By unifying the Carson City Sheriff’s Department, the School District, the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, the program aims to cut high-risk traffic incidents.

The safety rollout will be executed through these key targeted measures:

  • Student Training: Delivering bicycle, e-device and pedestrian safety education to 7,500 local students through safety assemblies, bike rodeos and campus outreach.
  • Quarterly Campaigns: Media campaigns and public outreach initiatives targeting cyclists and pedestrians and the “Safe Driving at Any Age” campaign reminding older drivers and new drivers of important traffic safety laws.
  • Coordinated Enforcement: Partnering with regional law enforcement for strategic, data-driven high-activity corridor monitoring.

Through December, residents will notice increased law enforcement and signage near schools targeting illegal U-turns. In March, a Pedestrian Safety campaign will deploy billboards and social media reminders, followed by a Bike Month initiative in May reminding cyclists to ride with the flow of traffic.

Local drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians are urged to obey traffic laws and watch for vulnerable road users. To learn more or get involved, visit Carson City Public Works at 3505 Butti Way, or contact Western Nevada Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Erica Roselius, at elroselius@carsoncity.gov or (775) 283-7396.