District urges careful driving near Carson City Schools

In Washoe County, the safety of students walking outside of schools has been an ongoing problem with 25 of them being hit by cars since August. In Carson City, that hasn’t been the case, and the school district wants to keep it that way.

“We’ve been very fortunate to not have any pedestrians or students hit but there have been some near misses,” said Cheri Fletcher, the district’s transportation supervisor.

Fletcher says she has seen an increase in drivers ignoring the stops signs on school buses this school year.

“They want to get around the bus,” she explained. “And that is a huge safety concern.”

In late 2018, the worst case scenario for a Carson City student was narrowly avoided.

“He essentially saved the life of one of his student passengers,” said Carson City public information officer Dan Davis.

Davis says a bus driver named Greg Hoeger was given a certificate of merit for his actions.

“The students were disembarking and getting ready to cross in front of the bus,” Davis explained. “And a car was speeding right at a student. The bus driver quickly laid on his horn, and the student stopped and the car went buzzing past.”

The problem of distracted driving isn’t going away.

The district say using a cell phone while driving in a school zone or anywhere else can result in a fine of at least $115.

That same minimum penalty applies for going at least ten miles per hour over the speed limit in marked school zones – and it also includes as many as 2 demerit points.

And if you pass a school bus with its stop sign extended – you’ll be fined at least $250.