Officials emphasize safety on valley’s school routes

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2002 | 9:06 a.m.

A dozen students from Rose Warren Elementary School in southwest Las Vegas were supposed to be giving a demonstration of the proper way for school children to navigate traffic Tuesday, complete with the watchful eyes of crossing guards, parents, administrators and police officers.

But the group crossing at the corner of Torrey Pines and Bourbon Way turned into a real-life lesson when a motorist sped through the crosswalk, ignoring the guard and the children already halfway across the street.

Instead of coming to the full stop required by state law, the driver continued on and was quickly pulled over by one of the six motorcycle officers attending the school safety event.

"Nothing surprises me anymore," said Metro Police Sgt. Philip George, who shook his head as he watched his colleague ticket the driver. "You would think all of the police and television crews would tip that guy off to be extra careful. No one stops for pedestrians, not even when they're children."

The prospect of drivers ignoring children had Clark County School District officials worried, as thousands of students will hit the streets when the 2002-03 school year begins next week.

There have been dozens of near misses in recent years involving students walking or biking their school route, along with reports of crossing guards being blatantly ignored, according to school police spokesman Sgt. Ken Young. Fortunately, injuries have been minor, Young said.

Kevin Lee, who will start fifth grade at Warren on Monday, said he still remembers a close call with a car while walking home from school last year -- at the same corner where he participated in Tuesday's demonstration.

"The car was coming really fast, and I could hear the brakes stop hard," Lee said. "The front of the car was right next to me. It was scary."

By law, a motorist must stop for a pedestrian, George said. Drivers must also stop when school buses are loading and unloading children, or when the stop arm is extended from the side of the bus, he said.

The children often know the rules better than the adults driving the cars, police said Tuesday at a briefing on traffic safety along school routes.

School district police routinely visit classrooms to remind students about safety precautions when walking to school, said Officer Darnell Couthen.

"It's not just cars kids have to worry about, there are also people out there who do bad things," Couthen said. "Parents need to talk to their children about stranger danger, along with the rules for being a safe pedestrian."

Ideally, parents should accompany their children to school or trade off duties with other families in their neighborhood, Couthen said.

School district officials said while they were not trying to discourage children from walking or biking, they wanted to emphasize that safety must always be the top priority. That means wearing safety helmets, traveling in groups rather than alone and knowing the rules of the road, Couthen said.

Federal researchers say walking or biking to school can be an excellent tool for combatting childhood obesity. But in the first nationwide study of its kind, researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found American schoolchildren living within one mile of school only walked or bicycled on one out of every three trips to school.

When asked why their children did not walk or bike to school, 40 percent of parents cited traffic and crime concerns, the study showed.

Helen Lawhon, who supervises the school district's crossing guards, said about 30 additional people are needed to staff intersections near the 172 elementary school campuses. The job pays $17.30 for 30 minutes of work in the mornings and another 30 minutes in the afternoon, Lawhon said.

"A stay-at-home parent or a retiree could get a nice supplement to their income and help us protect our children at the same time," Lawhon said. "I'd say that's a good deal."