Lyon County Sheriff Brad Pope’s Message of the Week: 08/18/2023

Last night was kid’s night at the Lyon County Fair and Rodeo. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office participated, our armored vehicle was available for kids of all ages to explore. Our Junior Deputies were also present, Deputy McCullough and Deputy True are doing an awesome job with the program. The Junior Deputies accompanied Deputies during the event and were able to recruit to their ranks. The Junior Deputy program will launch in Fernley in October! The program accepts high school freshman through 20 years old.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office also has booth at the Lyon County Fair and Rodeo, stop by and grab some swag for the kids!

I want to share safety tips for back to school, specifically around school buses and driving in school zones. Although we don’t return to school for two weeks, I want to put the thought in the community’s mind now.
-Reduce your speed, pay attention, and obey traffic laws in school zones and neighborhoods surrounding schools.

-Be ready to stop at all times.

-Children on bikes are often slow and unpredictable – slow down and allow at least 3 feet of passing distance between the bicycle and your vehicle.

-Wait patiently for children to complete their crossing before you proceed.

-Try to make eye contact with children who are waiting to cross the road.

-Do not load and unload children into vehicles across the street from the school.

-Don’t double park in the school zone – this blocks visibility for other children and vehicles.

-Never pass a vehicle that has stopped for pedestrians. When traveling behind a bus, follow at a greater distance than you would when following another car – this will give you more time to stop once yellow lights begin to flash.

-Watch for bikes coming from behind parked cars or driveways.

-Do not block crosswalks when stopped – this forces pedestrians to go around you and puts them in the path of moving traffic.

-Watch for children arriving late for the bus – they may dart across the street without heeding traffic.

School buses:

-Never pass a bus from behind, or from either direction if you’re on an undivided road. If it is stopped to load or unload children.

– If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.

– The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.

– Be alert; children often are unpredictable, and they tend to ignore hazards and take risks.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office received numerous complaints regarding drivers in school zones last year. We will make a daily effort to reduce traffic offenses in school zones this year.

Respectfully,

Sheriff Brad Pope