Remembering Lana, Keeping School Zones Safe

photos courtesy of CHP

The family of Lana Carlos and CHP officials joined forces to remind drivers and pedestrians in Castro Valley to look out for each other.

Last Monday, the family of Lana Carlos met with officials from the California Highway Patrol to honor her legacy five years after the 12-year-old Creekside Middle School student was killed crossing the street on Crow Canyon Road. 

While CHP pedestrian enforcement and school zone safety days are often held in the fall, the anniversary provided an opportunity to remind drivers and pedestrians to look out for each other. 

“Lana’s dad, Les, made an impactful speech at a morning briefing and spoke about the ripple effect of Lana’s tragedy,” CHP Officer Jennifer Pabst told the Forum. “CHP Captain Austin Danmeier encouraged the Officers and Senior Volunteers to go out and patrol the Castro Valley community, focusing on pedestrian and school zone safety.” 

CHP officers and senior volunteers monitored 12 different school zones. They issued 42 crosswalk violations, 43 tickets for driving at unsafe speeds, three tickets for ignoring a stop sign, five tickets for driving while distracted with a cell phone, one violation for not wearing a seatbelt, two violations for driving with non-working turn signals, and one impounded vehicle for an unlicensed driver.