Carson City Sheriff's Office steps up pedestrian enforcement this week in statewide safety effort
Beginning Monday and continuing through August 14, the Carson City Sheriff's Office and law enforcement statewide as part of Joining Forces will issue citations this week to pedestrians and motorists who are breaking traffic safety laws.
Nevada state law requires pedestrians to use sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian bridges and obey all traffic-control signs and signals. If there is no sidewalk pedestrians must walk on the left side of the street, facing traffic. For motorists, they must yield to pedestrians and avoid passing vehicles that are stopped for pedestrians.
Pedestrian safety is the responsibility of both the pedestrian and the motorist. Both cause crashes! Nevada consistently ranks among the 10 worst states for pedestrian fatalities. Nearly 90 percent of pedestrian and drivers involved in fatal crashes are local residents, not tourists.
The Carson City Sherriff’s Office will be out in force looking to enforce pedestrian safety laws. In addition to pedestrian safety, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office will enforce bicycle laws. Not just drivers of motor vehicles who violate laws regarding bicyclists, but, bicyclists that do not obey the rules of the road as well.
We would really like to see everybody obey the rules of the road together. Especially as summer is coming to an end and children are getting ready to head back to school.
See www.ZeroFatalitiesNV.com/pedestrian for more information about the law and safe behaviors for both pedestrians and drivers.
— Earl Mays is a sergeant with the Carson City Sheriff's Office.