As part of ongoing efforts to increase public safety by reducing the number of accidents and injuries caused by distracted driving, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office recently participated in a three-week Joining Forces distracted driving awareness campaign.
From March 31 through April 20, 2014, the Sheriff’s Office joined the Reno Police Department, Sparks Police Department and Nevada Highway Patrol for a high-intensity traffic enforcement campaign aimed at enforcing distracted driving laws.
The following results are from the Sheriff’s Office portion of this campaign:
Sheriff’s Office patrol staff assigned to this Distracted Driving Campaign initiated a total of 396 traffic stops. Although a driver may be stopped for one violation, several other violations may be observed during the subsequent investigation making it possible that a driver may be issued citations for numerous violations.
The total number of violations cited and warnings issued during this event was 535. Of those, 128 citations were issued for distracted driving.
Other violations cited by the Sheriff’s Office include:
- 205 speeding violations
- 60 for failure to show proof of insurance
- 30 motor vehicle registration violations
- 37 driver’s license related violations
- 15 vehicle equipment violations
- 2 violations for running a red light
- 5 violations for failing to yield the right of way
- 2 seatbelt violations
- 1 reckless driving
- 8 all other violations
- 38 warnings
In addition, Deputies arrested one person for Driving Under the Influence and 3 people on fugitive charges.
The Sheriff’s Office participation in this Joining Forces distracted driving awareness and enforcement campaign was made possible by grant funding received from the Nevada Department of Public Safety/Office of Traffic Safety.
Joining Forces is a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement program that promotes statewide enforcement in the areas of: DUI, distracted driving, seat belt, and speed and pedestrian safety. The goal of these enforcement campaigns is to save lives by increasing public awareness about the dangers of making poor choices while driving.
