Police teach special needs students to use crosswalks carefully
Standing on the corner of Heather and College drives, Henderson police officer Russell Adams instructs a group of Foothill High School special needs students on crosswalk safety before sending them to cross with his partner, officer Lindsay Vukanovich.
However, despite their presence, drivers continue to stop in the crosswalk during red lights or turn while students are still crossing.
“This is why we’re doing this,” Foothill principal Joseph Caruso said. “It’s better our students learn on an actual street because this is reality. If this was staged, our students wouldn’t see that this happens every day.”
The school, 800 College Drive, partnered with the Henderson Police Department and parent volunteer Lisa McKeon to teach its special needs students how to properly cross the street.
The safety event was last conducted at the school about two years ago, according to special education teacher Marita Lohmeyer.
“We just have so many students that need reminders on how to cross a street safely,” Lohmeyer said. “And with the amount of pedestrians struck by cars, it’s a good time to bring it back.”
Before hitting the street to practice, Adams and Vukanovich instructed the students to look both ways before crossing and to use crosswalks and signals when available.
“In the state of Nevada, pedestrians can legally cross at any intersection, even if there aren’t any lines painted or signs posted,” Vukanovich told the students. “Motor vehicles must yield to pedestrians, but pedestrians are also responsible for making sure cars stop before they start crossing.”
Adams also explained that motorists turning right on a red light must stop when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. Drivers may turn once the pedestrian is on the opposite side of the street if there is a median. However, they must stop and wait until the pedestrian has fully crossed if there is no median.
“If drivers are confused if they can go or not, it’s always better to just wait,” Adams said. “If they don’t, they run the risk of getting a ticket or hitting someone.”
McKeon used to work with Look Out Kids About, a nonprofit that teaches pedestrians and drivers about traffic safety.
She advised the students not to stop in the middle of the crosswalk and to refrain from walking into the street from between two cars. She also used a jelly mold of a human brain and a watermelon to demonstrate the importance of keeping heads safe.
“Our brain is like a melon: hard on the outside, soft on the inside,” McKeon said to the students. “We need to protect our melon because if it gets hurt, there’s no coming back from it.”
Student Al Jamson, 18, said he learned to make eye contact with motorists before crossing the street.
“I learned to make sure that vehicles stop for you because they may not see you and hit you,” Jamson said. “It’s pretty cool to walk with the officers because we get to learn the right way to cross the street while they keep us safe.”
After students practiced crossing the street, McKeon used the watermelon to demonstrate what could happen during a car crash. One student dropped it at shoulder level, cracking it. Another dropped it from above his head, smashing it to pieces.
“These students are so innocent that they think cars will always see them and stop for them,” Adams said. “Using the melon is a great way to show them what happens when they’re not being safe.”
In the United States, one pedestrian is killed in a motor vehicle accident every two hours, according to Vukanovich.
“At some point, everyone is going to be considered a pedestrian,” she said. “It’s important to raise awareness and teach traffic safety to avoid accidents.”
The Henderson, Metropolitan and North Las Vegas police departments host pedestrian safety events throughout the year for the general public.
For more information, visit lookoutkidsabout.org.
Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.