Police remind motorists to slow down in school zones

As students prepare to head to back to school next week, officials held a press conference Thursday to remind motorists to slow down around school zones.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Carlos Hank and Clark County School District Police Lt. Bryan Zink spoke from West Preparatory Academy Elementary with reminders for drivers as students head back to campus.

Hank and Zink spoke in front of a busy Lake Mead Boulevard, noting that students would have to cross six lanes of traffic to get to school. Hank noted that commuters should expect longer drive times as 310,000 students and 38,000 staff members return to school beginning Monday.

“I know that commuters have gotten out of practice slowing down through school zones,” he said. “Simply put, there’ll be more cars on the road, which means the average commuter time will be increased.”

Motorists who speed in school zones will face significant fines, starting at around $200.

During the 2019-20 school year, 42 children were injured crossing roads, Hank said. Officials said that “one child being hit is too many.”

Metro and the CCSD Police Department will work with North Las Vegas police and Henderson police to make sure back-to-school protocols go smoothly. There are plenty of students who will be going to their schools for the first time, Zink said, and that could cause anxiety for both students and parents.

“School zones are going to be crowded,” he said. “We’re going to have a lot of parents who have never dropped their kids off at school. They’re anxious, the kids are anxious, so let’s just slow down, pay attention and take our time.”

Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.