Back to school safety begins behind the wheel
School safety begins with every driver’s decision to slow down, remain attentive and allow additional travel time.
Most Washoe County School District students will return to school on Monday, August 10. With school buses, student pedestrians, bicyclists and parent vehicles returning to the road, drivers throughout Golden Valley should prepare for heavier traffic and longer morning commutes.
This year, the first day of school will also arrive during a major transition in the U.S. 395 North Valleys widening project. The combination of school traffic and highway construction makes planning ahead especially important.
Golden Valley’s Schools
Golden Valley is home to Alice Smith Elementary School on Beckwourth Drive and North Valleys High School on East Golden Valley Road. Both schools generate significant traffic during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.
Traffic along Beckwourth Drive may become even more important in the future. A K–12 charter-school campus has been proposed for property adjacent to Alice Smith Elementary School. If constructed, the additional school could substantially increase student, parent and employee traffic along the corridor.
Regardless of whether a driver has a student attending one of these schools, everyone traveling through Golden Valley shares responsibility for protecting children.
A New Safety Improvement at Beckwourth and Rutherford
The new school-zone beacon near Beckwourth Drive and Rutherford Drive, photographed shortly after its installation in spring 2026.
In spring 2026, following an inquiry to Washoe County School District Police concerning the school-zone signage near the intersection of Beckwourth Drive and Rutherford Drive, a new flashing yellow school-zone beacon was installed.
The beacon provides a much more visible warning that drivers must reduce their speed to 15 mph when the yellow lights are flashing.
Drivers who have traveled this route during summer break should be prepared for the beacon to return to operation with the beginning of the new school year.
When the Yellow Lights Are Flashing
Drivers approaching an active school zone should immediately reduce their speed to the posted limit. In the Alice Smith Elementary School zone, that limit is 15 mph.
When school-zone restrictions are active:
- Reduce speed before entering the zone.
- Do not pass another vehicle.
- Do not make a U-turn.
- Watch for children entering the roadway from between parked or stopped vehicles.
- Obey crossing guards and school personnel.
- Remain at the reduced speed until reaching the end of the posted zone.
Drivers should never assume that a child sees an approaching vehicle or will accurately judge its speed. Younger students can be unpredictable, particularly during the excitement and confusion of the first weeks of school.
School Traffic Returns During Major Highway Construction
Highway work zones require lower speeds and greater attention. According to federal data, speed was a factor in 34% of fatal work-zone crashes nationwide in 2024.
For the past two years, North Valleys drivers have navigated the first phase of the U.S. 395 widening project between North McCarran Boulevard and Golden Valley Road. Although that phase is nearing completion, work will continue during the opening months of the school year.
On July 13, the Nevada Department of Transportation began Phase 2, extending the improvements north from Golden Valley Road to Stead Boulevard. The approximately $127 million project is scheduled to continue through early 2028.
Phase 2 will add a travel lane in each direction, construct auxiliary merging lanes, rehabilitate the pavement and improve the Golden Valley Road interchange. The project also includes retaining and sound walls, drainage, lighting and transportation-system improvements.
During construction, drivers should anticipate:
- Periodic lane shifts
- A 55-mph work-zone speed limit
- Overnight reductions to one lane in each direction
- Intermittent overnight ramp closures
- Periodic lane reductions on Golden Valley Road and Lemmon Drive beneath U.S. 395
- Limited overnight or weekend closures beneath the interchanges
Phase 1 and Phase 2 construction will temporarily create one extended work zone through the North Valleys. Congestion on U.S. 395 can also place additional traffic on Golden Valley Road, Beckwourth Drive and surrounding neighborhood streets.
Leave Earlier—Not Faster
Allow additional travel time, particularly during the first weeks of school. A delayed commute is never a reason to speed through a residential neighborhood or active school zone.
North Valleys construction alerts: Text NorthValleys to 866-540-8466 to receive NDOT construction and traffic updates.
Sharing the Road with School Buses
Drivers approaching a school bus should be prepared for frequent stops and children entering or crossing the roadway.
Nevada law generally requires drivers approaching a stopped school bus from either direction to stop when the bus is displaying flashing red lights. Drivers must remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing.
An exception applies when a bus is stopped on the opposite roadway of a divided highway. Drivers should never rely on that exception unless the roadways are physically divided and the bus is clearly positioned on the other roadway.
Students waiting for a bus should remain at least six feet—approximately three large steps—from the curb. They should wait until the bus has stopped completely and the driver signals that it is safe before approaching or crossing.
Walking and Bicycling Safely
Students walking to school should use sidewalks and designated crosswalks whenever available. Before entering a roadway, they should look left, right and left again.
Headphones, phones and other distractions can prevent a student from hearing or seeing approaching traffic. Students should remain attentive until they have safely completed their trip.
Students riding bicycles should:
- Wear a properly fitted helmet.
- Ride in the same direction as traffic.
- Obey traffic signs and signals.
- Ride single-file when traveling with others.
- Use lights or reflective materials when visibility is limited.
- Walk bicycles across busy crosswalks when conditions warrant.
Drivers passing bicyclists must provide adequate space and should expect inexperienced riders to make sudden or uncertain movements.
Safer Student Drop-Off and Pickup
The areas immediately surrounding schools can become congested, especially during the first days of a new school year.
Parents and caregivers should follow each school’s designated traffic pattern and the instructions of school employees. Double-parking, stopping in crosswalks and loading children from an active traffic lane can obstruct visibility and place students at risk.
Drivers should also avoid sudden stops, unsafe turns and backing movements near entrances and crosswalks. Whenever possible, children should enter and leave the vehicle from the curb side.
A Back-to-School Family Safety Check
Traffic safety is only one part of preparing for the new school year. Families should also take time to review several basic precautions:
- Confirm that emergency contacts and authorized pickup information are current.
- Update the school nurse regarding allergies, medications and emergency action plans.
- Make sure younger children know their home address and a parent’s telephone number.
- Review the family’s emergency and fire plans.
- Check that backpacks fit properly and are not overloaded.
- Review privacy and location-sharing settings on personal and school-issued devices.
- Avoid posting first-day photographs that reveal a child’s school, teacher, grade, bus stop or daily routine.
- Talk openly about bullying, peer pressure and back-to-school anxiety.
- Make sure students know how and when to ask a trusted adult for help.
As a practical guideline, a loaded backpack should weigh approximately 10% of the child’s body weight and should not exceed 15%. Students should use both shoulder straps and place the heaviest items closest to the back.
Reporting a Safety Concern
Nevada’s SafeVoice program provides students, parents and school employees with an anonymous way to report threats to a student’s safety or well-being. Reports may involve bullying, self-harm, weapons, violence, substance abuse or other serious concerns.
SafeVoice is available around the clock. However, an immediate emergency should always be reported by calling 911.
WCSD School Police dispatch can be reached during school business hours at 775-348-0285.
Safety Is a Community Responsibility
The return of students on August 10 will change traffic patterns throughout Golden Valley. The new flashing school-zone beacon near Beckwourth and Rutherford provides an important reminder, but signs and lights cannot replace attentive driving.
Slow down, put away distractions and allow more time for the trip. Whether encountering a school bus, a student in a crosswalk, a bicyclist or a congested drop-off area, every driver has an opportunity to help a child arrive safely.
