traffic safety

As daylight saving time comes to an end on Sunday, November 1, any will notice the time change disrupting sleep patterns and affecting the ability to concentrate and safely operate a motor vehicle. To highlight the life-threatening dangers of fatigued driving, 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 1-8, 2020, and encouraging Californians to stay alert and stay alive.

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department encourages the public to remember that everyone is a pedestrian.

The number of pedestrians killed has grown by about 50% over the past decade, with 6,283 pedestrians killed in traffic crashes nationwide in 2018, or one traffic-related pedestrian death every 84 minutes.

Excess speed, poor lighting, crossing outside crosswalks and impairment are the main factors that lead to a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is inviting Nevada drivers to submit contest entries for creative traffic safety messages to be displayed on electronic freeway signs.

Last year, nearly 285 individuals were killed in Nevada traffic crashes. With over 90% of U.S. crashes caused in part by driver behavior, the message boards are an important driving safety reminder.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - Roadside parking along SR28 south of Incline Village has been problematic for years. Several "no parking" areas have been created over several miles to keep cars off the road to improve safety.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) announced Monday they will add "no parking" signs to enhance traffic safety on a section of State Route 28 in southeastern Incline Village.

Beginning July 13, NDOT will add six new “no parking” signs on the west, lakeside of State Route 28, extending from southern Lakeshore Boulevard to approximately 300 feet south.

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:

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - Roadside parking restrictions on US50 south of the Cave Rock tunnel will soon be enhanced by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT).

Even though vehicles and trailers have been parking in the median just outside the entrance to the Cave Rock State Park, it is illegal to do so. NDOT will be adding signage to the area to alert those who are parking illegally.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The final stage of the three-plus mile shared-use path from the southern end of Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park along SR28 will begin on April 22, ending a four-year, multi-agency water quality and traffic safety improvement project.

The safety of pedestrians and bicyclists is the focus of a federal grant to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for the coming year.

The California Pedestrian and Bicyclist Enforcement and Education Project (CPBEEP) grant runs from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019. During this year-long statewide campaign, CHP officers will conduct enhanced enforcement activities and public education campaigns.

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 project to stabilize the roadside slope near Cave Rock has been substantially completed, enough so that most of the lane reduction barriers have been removed. Crews Wednesday were smoothing new asphalt. Motorists should anticipate intermittent roadway shoulder and lane closures over coming weeks for final construction clean up.

Buckle up when driving not only this holiday season as you head to Lake Tahoe, but each and every day no matter where you drive. As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day weekend is a busy time on California roadways. To help segue into summer safely, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will conduct a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP).

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - There will be single lane closures on Highway 50 near Cave Rock starting Monday, May 7, as Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) completes roadside slope repairs.

The intersection of State Route 88 at Centerville Lane will receive a compact traffic roundabout, and construction on it begins Monday, April 23.

From April 23 to 27, daytime lane closures from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. will take place with a pilot car leading traffic in alternating directions through the intersection. An approximately 10-day full closure of the SR 88 and Centerville Lane intersection will then begin Monday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m., with nearby detour available via Mottsville Lane and Foothill Road.

While the public makes plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and other law enforcement agencies are preparing to keep the roadways free of impaired drivers so that everyone can safely enjoy the festivities.

SLTPD is adding two patrols on Saturday to watch for drunk drivers on local roads, and CHP officers will be doing to the same.

Law enforcement from both California and Nevada are reminding motorists to not drink and drive, especially during Super Bowl weekend which seen an increase of drunk drivers on the road. As friends and family gather to watch the game Sunday, February 4, please designate a sober driver before the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles begins.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) have teamed up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind motorists to not drive while intoxicated.

Over the next two weeks, Northern Nevada residents can expect to see double or even triple the normal law enforcement presence. The Nevada Highway Patrol has joined forces with law enforcement agencies statewide to crack down on impaired driving, and has an important message for the public: if you’ll be drinking, designate a sober driver, and if you drive impaired, you will be arrested.

The Nevada Highway Patrol will be joining other law enforcement agencies, looking for drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seatblets as well as children not properly secured in booster seats.

Deputies and troopers across the state will be stopping drivers for different traffic offenses and issuing citations for seatbelt violations through December 2, 2017 in their "Joining Forces" campaign to save lives. .

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will be wrapping up their two major Lake Tahoe projects for the season over the coming weeks. Crews are working diligently to complete all that they can this construction season before heavy winter weather sets in and makes construction infeasible. Both projects will return with construction next spring.

U.S. 50 Logan Creek Slope Stabilization Project

The Nevada Department of Transportation’s U.S. 50 Cave Rock tunnel extension project, which completed ahead of schedule last year, has been recognized with an America’s Transportation Award.

The award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recognizes the project as the best transportation project under $25 million in the western states for enhancing community and quality of life. The award recognizes the project for enhancing traffic safety and mobility, as well as involving community stakeholders in the project.

More real-time traffic information will be available to Nevada drivers as the Nevada Department of Transportation announces a data-sharing partnership with Waze, the free, real-time crowdsourced traffic and navigation app.

Between 2011 and 2015, 369 lives were lost in Nevada in alcohol-related crashes, one of the deadliest and most often committed of crimes on the road. Impaired drivers have consistently been the most common cause of motor vehicle crashes resulting in injuries and deaths in Nevada which is a serious safety epidemic.

There is someone injured in a car accident every two minutes, and someone killed every 53 minutes in the United States involving an impaired driver. This is a preventable crime, and lives can be saved by following some simple steps.

Drivers between South Lake Tahoe and Spooner Summit may once again travel along Highway 50 after it was closed for several days after boulders larger than passenger vehicles rolled down the hill onto the road just north of Cave Rock.

Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) reopened the road with one lane of traffic moving in each direction.

No vehicles were involved in the slides, and no injuries were reported.

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.

Deaths caused by drunk drivers had decreased during the past three decades due to increased awareness, education and more choices of sober drivers, but authorities are seeing a rise in 2016. Over 10,000 people died in 2015 after someone chose to drink and drive.

New Year's Day is the single deadliest day for drunk driving and accidents caused by drunk drivers. The 12-hour window between 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 6 a.m. on Jan. 1 tends to have about 71 percent more crashes where alcohol or drugs are listed as a contributing factor.