Clark County School Zone Penalties Will Double Under New Law After 303 Students Hit Since August

Clark County officials and school district leaders are stepping up efforts to improve traffic safety around schools, pointing to a sharp rise in student injuries and a new state law that will stiffen penalties for violations in school zones.

A Clark County report shows 303 students were struck near schools since August, up from roughly 90 at the same point the previous year. Nearly half of those incidents involved electric bikes or scooters. Clark County Office of Traffic Safety Director Andrew Bennett attributes the increase in part to an improved tracking system.

"So largely the E-device crashes. What we're seeing is failure to yield the right away, which could be defined as simple as not knowing the rules of the road," said Bennett.

Local jurisdictions have already enacted e-bike speed limits. A county Traffic Safety Working Group — made up of Clark County School District, local jurisdictions, and law enforcement — is pursuing a broader set of solutions.

"We believe that there is additional action that might be required at the state level," said Bennett. "But with the school, Traffic Safety Working Group, we're also looking at education, enforcement, engineering, and policy recommendations."

Bennett says the working group expects to release school zone safety recommendations toward the end of April or early May.

On the legislative front, Assembly Bill 6 takes effect July 1, doubling fines for traffic violations in active school zones and doubling license points for violators.

"A lot of the fines in our school zones, active school zones, are going to double. So that can go anywhere from around $415 to $830," said CCSD Police Department Lt. Bryan Zink.

Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft noted that enforcement resources have grown in recent months, including a new traffic squad and two detectives, the first staffing boost to the traffic bureau in decades.

"I believe that consequences help change behavior, right? There's got to be consequences for poor action, and when you're breaking the rules, when you're breaking the law, there should be consequences for that action," said Naft.