Washoe News

The Reno Police Department in conjunction with the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety, has been awarded several grants to help fund traffic related enforcement efforts in the City of Reno from October, 2022 through September,  2023.

DUI Enforcement - $53,097.00 - funding from this grant will enhance the department's ability to provide high visibility DUI saturation enforcement.  Additionally, the grant will help purchase two oral fluid roadside analysis units - the first of this type of field testing unit for the department.  These units analyze saliva in the field to detect the presence of drugs in a driver's system.  These units are an important step in enhancing officers' abilities to detect and address poly-substance use among impaired drivers.  The program goals are to reduce DUI related crashes and fatalities, sustain or increase the number of DUI offenders detected and arrested in our city, and educate the community about the risks of driving under the influence.

There is no excuse for operating a vehicle while under the influence.  "Buzzed" driving is drunk driving and as few as 2-3 drinks for the average adult will impair your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.  The use of recreational or medical marijuana also impairs your ability to operate a motor vehicle.  Lastly, many prescription and some over the counter medications can impair you and if any substance impairs your ability to safely operate a vehicle, you can be held criminally liable for operating a vehicle while under the influence.  Residents are encouraged to:

• Designate a sober driver.
• Use public transportation such as buses, taxis, and ride share services.
• Take keys from subjects who are attempting to drive after consuming substances which alter their abilities.
• Call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.

Pedestrian Enforcement - $40,000.00 - funding from this grant will enhance the department's ability to conduct enforcement and education related to pedestrian safety.  The core function of the program is high visibility enforcement operations designed to identify and correct illegal and problematic behaviors among both drivers and pedestrians while targeting areas with high pedestrian generators.  The goal of the program is to reduce vehicle vs. pedestrian collisions and reduce pedestrian fatalities.

Pedestrians should always:

• Use a crosswalk.
• Make eye contact with driver's before entering the roadway.
• Never assume a driver sees you and always remain vigilant for driver's who are not paying attention while crossing.
• Never be distracted while crossing a road - stay off devices such as phones and keep your eyes up, alert for possible emerging hazards. Crosswalks are not force fields.
• Obey crossing signals.

Drivers should:

• Watch for pedestrians, particularly in areas with high foot traffic.
• Yield to pedestrians in or waiting to use a crosswalk.
• Never pass a vehicle stopped in a travel lane until you are sure it is safe to do so - they are likely stopped for something you may not be seeing, such as a pedestrian or other hazard.

School Zone Enforcement - $21,525.00 - funding from this grant will enhance the department's ability to conduct focused enforcement in school zones with the goal of eliminating or reducing student involved crashes and eliminating traffic fatalities of students in transit. The grant helps to fund at least 70-five hour blocks of enforcement throughout the school year.  This allows the department to place extra enforcement resources in the field to address poor driving behaviors in school zones twice a week during the traditional 35 week school year.  The program also encourages and enhances communication with other entities such as the Washoe County School Police Department, City of Reno Traffic Engineering, and other entities who share a common goal of enhancing student safety through analysis, evaluation, and mitigation of risk factors.

Drivers are encouraged to:

• Never speed in a school zone.  The slower speed limits exist for a reason - they allow for greater perception and reaction times and if a collision does occur the slower speeds exponentially decrease the severity of potential injuries.
• Never be distracted in a school zone.
• Know where school zones are along your common routes.
• Know when they are active, some are all day, others only during certain times, some are year round, some are not.
• Never make U-turns in a school zone - this is a very common reason students get struck.
• Never be in a hurry in a school zone - your haste could permanently alter a child's life, or worse, take a child's life.

Joining Forces - $84,000.00 - funding from this grant allows for department participation in statewide, high visibility multi-jurisdictional traffic enforcement events that are focused on reducing fatalities and serious injury crashes in Nevada.  It provides funding for enhanced enforcement of safety belt and child safety seat laws, speed enforcement laws, pedestrian safety, and helps to reduce distracted and impaired driving through Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (STEP), saturation patrols and checkpoints.

The Reno Police Department will be teaming up with other enforcement agencies in the area to accomplish the Joining Forces goals listed above.

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Original source can be found here.