LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas valley mom says she wants to see more police officers near school crosswalks after a car almost hit her and her two children on Tuesday morning.
“We did not see that car coming. All the cars had stopped, and this car came out of nowhere,” said Eliza, who requested we only use her first name.
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Eliza says the three of them were walking in a crosswalk in front of Bailey Elementary School when a car shot through the street, nearly hitting them and a crossing guard.
“My son said he went to class with his legs shaking because it was really close to hitting us. It was scary,” Eliza said.
Eliza says she sees cars speed through the school zone every day during rush hour.
“They don’t stop. They just keep going. I think they want to beat the traffic, so they just keep on going,” she said.
Clark County School District police says it is investigating the near collision, and describes the video that captured the incident as horrifying.
Officers say if the driver is caught, they could face hefty charges.
“An incident like that it could be anywhere from reckless driving due to the unsafe lane changes, the high speed through the school zone, and then going through the active crosswalk as well,” Sgt Bryan Zink said.
As a result, CCSD deployed more patrol officers to monitor the school zone.
Eliza says it’s an encouraging sign to see.
“Now that I see there are a few, which is a good thing, I just think enforcing the area more would be great,” Eliza said.
CCSD police say in certain cases drivers could face possible jail time.
Traffic safety advocate Erin Breen says near misses happen every day with distracted or impaired drivers speeding through school zones and not giving people the right of way.
“Drivers do things that are that selfish all the time,” said Breen.
She says there have already been a number of collisions around schools, and it points to the need for wider awareness for drivers on all roads.
“I think we’re at 24 children who have been hit to and from school and unofficially we’re at 43 pedestrian fatalities in Clark County this year,” she said.
CCSD police says they have stepped up enforcement with more officers patrolling certain school zones.
“We’re doing some targeted enforcement in some of the areas where that have been reported to them as being high traffic issue areas,” Sgt. Zink said.
As a result, officers say expect to be ticketed if you’re caught breaking the rules.
“We’re way beyond the part of giving out warnings or letting people go with a warning to where they’re doing a lot of enforcement now,” he said.
CCSD PD says with the wet weather season now here parents should prepare for delays and come early to pick up or drop off kids and keep an eye on the road at all times.
“Please pay attention. These kids are trying to get to school and we know kids like to run when it’s raining so just be mindful of kids darting out in between traffic,” Sgt. Zink said.
