School bus traffic laws in Nevada are designed to help keep our children safe, but the laws themselves are quite involved. If you are a driver in the state, there are two main subjects you need to be aware of:
1) Stopping for a school bus in Nevada.
The rules for passing a school bus in Nevada sometimes cause confusion. School bus laws in Nevada (NRS 484.357) require you to stop at once if you see a stopped school bus with flashing red light signals to allow children on or off the bus.
If you see this, you must stop (no matter what direction you’re driving) and must not overtake or drive past the bus until the red flashing signal is turned off. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor. However, this rule does not apply to divided highways. On divided highways, if you are passing or meeting a school bus which is on the other roadway, you do not need to stop.
2) School crossing traffic laws in Nevada
The area around schools can be dangerous for children. The streets around a school may have heavy traffic, and motorists may not see children coming to and from school. During school drop-off and pick-up times, there may be more pedestrian and car traffic in these areas as well as school buses arriving and departing.
To make school zones safer for students, Nevada law states that drivers cannot drive faster than 15 miles per hour in any designated school zone, except for in certain cases. For example, well outside of school hours (more than thirty minutes after school is let out or more than half an hour before school is in session) and on days when school is not open, this rule does not have to be followed. If you were in an accident because of not following this rule, then you need to contact a car accident lawyer in Las Vegas right away to protect your rights.
Some school zones in Nevada have operational speed limit beacons to make it easier for drivers to obey speed limits. If there is such a beacon in a school zone, drivers need to slow down when the beacons are flashing. In school zones where no beacon is present, there are signs indicating when a speed limit must be followed.
In addition to school zones, drivers need to be aware of school crossing zones. These zones have a speed limit of no more than 25 miles per hour during higher-traffic times. As with school zones, there are beacons or signs to remind drivers of the rules and to alert drivers when the speed limit is in effect.
What Designates a School Zone?
In Nevada, the Department of Transportation and the local government decide what areas are designated school crossing zones and school zones. They will not designate an area as a school zone, even if children and schools are nearby, if a lower speed limit would be dangerous. Usually, this happens because nearby areas have high speed limits. This means, however, that even if an area is not a designated school zone, you’ll want to use extra caution as a driver if you see children heading to and from school.
Violating school zone or school crossing zone regulations has serious consequences. Anyone who causes an accident while violating these rules faces additional penalties.
The attorneys at G. Dallas Horton & Associates believe we all have a role to play in keeping children safe. Our attorneys aggressively advocate on behalf of children and pedestrians injured by drivers who willfully disobey school bus regulations and other traffic laws. If you have been injured and would like justice, contact G. Dallas Horton & Associates to find out whether you have a cause for legal action.
