Editorial: Young drivers need safer school access

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2002 | 9:10 a.m.

As the pace of development accelerates around Centennial High School, so do the perils encountered by students as they drive to and from school. Numerous neighborhoods and commercial centers are being built in this fast-growing area of the northwest valley. Construction is set to begin soon on the newest leg of the Las Vegas Beltway, which will add even more construction trucks to Centennial Parkway, the only access road to the school.

To protect the students, Clark County is considering a plan to build some alternative roads that would provide safer access to the school, at least during this period of heavy construction. Videos mapping out the new routes would be made and distributed to the students. The new roads and accompanying videos are urgently needed. In a perfect world, the new roads would have been built in time for the school's 1999 opening. But late is better than never, particularly when the safety of young drivers is at stake.