Drivers, be cautious: School starts today

With the first day of classes today for Whittell High School and Zephyr Cove Elementary School as well as Douglas County schools in the Carson Valley, authorities remind motorists to abide by all school-zone traffic laws.

Drivers should anticipate an increase in child pedestrian activity, especially in and around schools, said Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini.

“It is important that drivers obey the posted speed limit when traveling through a school zone, and to be vigilant for children crossing the roadways,” the sheriff said in a statement.

The minimum fine for a speeding violation within a school zone is $145.

Deputies of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department will be strictly enforcing the traffic laws around schools and at the school bus stops, Pierini said. Drivers are obligated to bring their vehicles to a stop when meeting or overtaking a school bus displaying a flashing red signal.

Fines for failing to stop for a school bus range from $220 for passing on the driver’s side of the bus to $832 for passing on the loading side of the bus.

The only exception to this law is that a driver need not stop upon a divided roadway when the school bus has stopped on the opposite side of the roadway.