SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit, Reno Police Department, Nevada Highway Patrol, University of Nevada Police Department and the Sparks Police Department will be placing additional personnel on patrol for two weeks as part of the Statewide “Click It or Ticket” seat belt awareness and enforcement campaign. These additional traffic enforcement patrols are being conducted to help ensure that all drivers and passengers are properly buckled up.
The Sheriff’s Office takes a data driven approach to crime and traffic safety, identifying high crime and crash areas through statistical analysis and then saturating those areas with highly visible traffic enforcement. Citation data generated by the Sheriff’s Office Research and Development Unit from January 1, 2007 through November 10, 2011 revealed the Top 3 locations for seat belt related violations (failure to use seat belts and child restraints):
- Area between West 7th Avenue and Sidehill Drive and East 7th Avenue and Leon Drive in Sun Valley – 1,384 violations.
- Eagle Canyon Drive between West Calle de la Plata and Pyramid Way in Spanish Springs – 901 violations.
- East Golden Valley Road between Spearhead Way and Estates Road in Golden Valley – 883 violations.
The Sheriff’s Office and partnering agencies are working together as part of the State’s “Joining Forces” Program. You may see members of these agencies anywhere in Washoe County at any given time, enforcing Nevada’s Traffic Laws in an effort to make all of Nevada’s roadways as safe as possible.
This specific enforcement effort runs through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The additional enforcement personnel are funded under a “Joining Forces” grant provided by the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety.
The Sheriff’s Office wants all occupants in a motor vehicle to make putting on a seat belt a routine. This life-saving and injury reducing action will give motorist a better chance at surviving a collision. Remember that each and every life is important so take a few seconds to confirm that all occupants have their seat belts securely fastened, it’s the law.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office celebrates 150 years of proud service and community partnership in 2011. Sheriff Michael Haley is the 24th person elected to serve as the Sheriff of Washoe County. His office continues to be the only full service public safety agency operating within northern Nevada and is responsible for operating the consolidated detention facility, regional crime lab, Northern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center, Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, court security, service of civil process and traditional street patrols
