distracted driving

New laws will be going into effect in California in the new year, putting into place California legislature action during 2019. There are many changes including road safety and distracted driving penalties, roadkill rules, minimum wage, independent workers and rent caps.

Except where noted, these laws are effective January 1, 2020:

Traffic Safety

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is highlighting several new laws passed this year:

Now that we have all changed our clocks and experienced the first night of an early sunset it is time to understand what the end of Daylight Saving Time can do to drivers.

The time change may disrupt sleep patterns and affect the ability to concentrate and safely operate a motor vehicle, and to highlight the dangers of fatigued drivng, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, November 5-12, 2018.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is joining the Nevada Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in the state to emphasize the importance of safe and sober driving during the Labor Day Holiday weekend and beginning of September.

The enforcement began on August 25 and ends on Monday, September 10.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will dedicate extra officers to DUI enforcement as part of a statewide JOINING FORCES campaign aimed at reducing tragedies caused by people driving under the influence.

The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) is joining other law enforcement agencies across the state in a Joining Forces Distracted Driver campaign April 1-15, 2018. NHP will be working diligently to urge motorists to keep their eyes on the road and put away cell phones or other items that cause distractions. On average, texting takes your eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds. When traveling at 55 mph, that is enough time to cover the length of a football field.

The Nevada Departments of Transportation and Public Safety are reminding Nevadans to share the road after Nevada pedestrian traffic deaths rose in 2017 amid a decline in overall statewide traffic deaths.

In 2017, Douglas County had a rise in all deaths on the road: Fatal crashes up from 5 to 9, fatalities up from 5 to 11, alcohol fatal crashes up from 1 to 2, and number of fatalities in those crashes up from 1 to 3.

It wasn't record setting, but it was disturbing for safety officials in Nevada to read the reports that more people died on Nevada roads in 2016 than the previous year.

Preliminary data shows that 327 traffic fatalities occurred on the state's roads in 2016, one more death than in 2015. There were five more crashes, more pedestrians deaths by vehicles (5), and more motorcyclist deaths (21).

Alcohol related crashes and deaths decreased in 2016, with 11.46 percent fewer deaths and 15.38 percent fewer crashes relating to drunk driving.

A joint law enforcement campaign in Nevada will be focusing on distracted drivers on the state's roads from November 2 to 13 in an attempt to reduce deaths caused by drivers who are texting or making phone calls while behind the wheel.

In the first half of 2016, traffic deaths in the country rose 10.4 percent over 2015, meaning 1,665 more deaths in just six months. That follows a 7 percent increase in deaths the prior year.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office participation in the Joining Forces Distracted Drivers event held from April 1 to April 20th resulted in the following:

1 arrest for DUI, 21 citations issued for cell phone use, 1 citation for an individual cutting their hair while driving, 2 citations for failure to yield to a pedestrian, 89 for speed, 19 stop sign and traffic light violations. In addition, 41 citations were issued for other traffic related violations.

On April 7 and April 20, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol will be especially vigilant for distracted drivers on local roads as part of a joint effort across the state.

Although the officers' goals are not to write as many citations as possible, sometimes citations are necessary for drivers to understand the importance of focusing on their driving.

Distracted driving is such an important safety issue that April is recognized as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

While California figures are not in yet, Nevada has released a report on their traffic fatalities for 2015.

Preliminary data shows that there were 321 Nevada traffic deaths in 2015, an increase by 30 deaths over the previous year.

When compared with the number of miles driven in Nevada, though, traffic deaths have dropped from an average of 1.54 deaths per every 100 million miles traveled in 2008 to 1.13 fatalities per 100 million miles in 2013. Statewide, traffic fatalities reached an all-time high of 432 in 2006.

Douglas County residents can expect to see an increase in the normal law enforcement presence near crosswalks within Douglas County between August 17 and August 28, 2015. Douglas County has joined forces with Lyon County and other law enforcement agencies statewide to monitor pedestrian safety.

An accident Wednesday morning near Glenbrook, NV claimed the life of a woman and her dog.

The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) is investigating the fatal accident which happened just after 8:30 a.m. June 3 on Highway 50 between Cave Rock and Glenbrook.

For unknown reasons, the woman, who was traveling north, went off the road, down a short embankment where the vehicle ran into rocks. She was traveling with her dog. Both the woman and the dog were pronounced dead at the scene.

Fact. Research has found that using a cell phone behind the wheel makes a driver four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury.

Fact. When sending or receiving text messaging behind the wheel, a driver’s eyes are off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, equivalent to driving the length of a football field at 65 miles per hours.

Fact. The likelihood of crashes dramatically rise when your actions require a combination of visual, manual and cognitive attention

April 1st starts the month long zero tolerance campaign “It’s Not Worth It!” to highlight the fact that drivers who text and use cell phones while driving have the same driving behavior as those who are legally drunk. South Lake Tahoe California Highway Patrol officers will join others from around the state in an effort to curb these behaviors in order to reduce preventable accidents with injuries.

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.