The Las Vegas Grand Prix Gave $100,000 for a Valley-Wide School Traffic Safety Push

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

On Oct. 19, Clark County and Metro held a press conference at the LVMPD Traffic Bureau to mark National Teen Driver Safety Week, which ran Oct. 18 to 24. They used the event to highlight a valley-wide traffic safety initiative for Southern Nevada schools. It is funded by a $100,000 donation from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

FOX5 Vegas listed the pieces of the initiative. There is a unified safety messaging system for CCSD and charter school families. There are school-zone safety tip sheets. There is guidance on electronic devices. There are tip sheets on updated Nevada traffic laws. And there are warning cards on parking rules across local cities and the county. KTNV reported that the messaging covers four main topics: school-zone safety, electronic devices, Nevada traffic laws and parking. KTNV also reported that more information is posted on CCSD's school safety website at schoolsafety.ccsd.net/young-drivers/.

Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft and LVMPD Lt. Cody Fulwiler spoke at the event. KTNV quoted Naft saying, "As teens gain independence behind the wheel, it is critical that they understand the responsibility." Fulwiler described the effort as a partnership between county officials, police and private groups.

The day also had a personal side. Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc. honored Jeff Payne, the founder and CEO of Driver's Edge, a teen driver safety program. Lori Nelson-Kraft, the company's senior vice president of community affairs, gave Payne two tickets to the 2026 Formula 1 Heineken Las Vegas Grand Prix. The gift came through the company's Extraordinary Locals program. FOX5 reported that Payne said the honor meant a lot to him as a lifelong Formula 1 fan who has worked in motorsports for his whole career. Naft and Fulwiler both said the new safety measures line up with the work Payne has done for years.

Cars and an SUV drive down a wide multi-lane street in east Las Vegas with a school crossing sign and a pedestrian signal button in view

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Southern Nevada families get safety information from a lot of places. CCSD schools and charter schools each send home their own notices, and the valley is split across several cities plus unincorporated Clark County. That is why the county stresses that the parking warning cards cover rules across local municipalities. One shared set of materials means a parent does not have to piece the rules together alone.

The point of the Grand Prix money is to fix that. When the county first announced the gift in July, FOX5 quoted Naft saying that for the first time, "every student in a public school here in Southern Nevada will have access to the same high-quality information." It does not matter if the school is CCSD or charter, or which city it sits in. One message, every family.

This also matters for parents of teens. Teen Driver Safety Week is about the kids who are just getting their licenses. Many of them drive to high school every day, often through the same school zones where younger kids are walking. KTNV talked with a local grandmother, Peggy Spears, who has two teenage granddaughters. Her rule is clear. She told KTNV, "I make sure that they don't have any phones, no radio, no nothing." She also quizzes them on the rules of the road and tells them to leave space between cars. If you cannot see the bumper of the car in front of you, she said, you are too close.

And it matters for everyone else on the road. You do not need kids in school to drive past one. Most of us pass at least one school zone on the way to work, the store or the gym. The parking warning cards in this effort are aimed at the cars that stop in red zones, block crosswalks or double park during pickup. That behavior makes it harder for drivers to see children, and harder for children to see cars. Every driver in the valley is part of this, not just parents.

The timing also lines up with other school safety moves in Clark County this month. In a separate story this week, FOX5 reported that the county approved an increase of about $715,557 a year for crossing guard services, and that CCSD data shows 64 students have been hit by vehicles so far this school year. In Henderson, FOX5 also aired video of drivers passing a flashing crosswalk on Water Street while a person with a baby stroller waited. Put together, the message from local leaders this fall is the same: slow down near schools and pay attention.

Quick Facts: The School Traffic Safety Push

Here is the whole story in one place, with each fact tied to the sources at the bottom of this post:

$100,000: the Las Vegas Grand Prix donation paying for the school zone traffic safety education campaign.
Who it reaches: every CCSD and charter school family in the valley, with one shared set of safety messages.
What is in it: school-zone safety tip sheets, electronic device guidance, tip sheets on updated Nevada traffic laws, and parking warning cards.
427: the number of children involved in traffic crashes in Southern Nevada last year, per the release covered by FOX5 and the figure Metro shared with KTNV.
July 1: the date Nevada's new school zone laws took effect, expanding school crosswalk signal schedules and doubling penalties for dangerous driving.
Oct. 18 to 24: National Teen Driver Safety Week, when Clark County and Metro spotlighted the effort at the LVMPD Traffic Bureau.
Who leads it: the School Zone Traffic Safety Working Group, run by the Clark County Office of Traffic Safety.

Two numbers in this story can look like they disagree, so here is the difference. The 427 figure counts children involved in traffic crashes in Southern Nevada last year. The county's July release described more than 400 crashes involving school-aged children during the last school year. Both point the same way, and both come from local officials.

Background and History

The $100,000 gift is not brand new. Clark County first announced it on Thursday, July 30, at a back-to-school traffic safety event at the CCSD Family Support Center, before the new school year started. FOX5 covered it that day under the headline "Las Vegas Grand Prix funds valley-wide school safety campaign" and called it a "first-of-its-kind" campaign. The October event during Teen Driver Safety Week put the spotlight back on that initiative, now that school is in full swing.

That July event also covered new state law. According to Clark County, Nevada's new school zone laws took effect July 1. The changes expand the schedules for school crosswalk signals and double the penalties for dangerous driving. Naft said at the time that the changes "send a clear message," and that slowing down and following school zone laws is required, not optional. The county also said more than 400 crashes involved school-aged children during the last school year.

A group of children walking together down a neighborhood street, the kind of school walking route the new Clark County safety materials are meant to protect

The money comes out of work by a group called the School Zone Traffic Safety Working Group. It is led by the Clark County Office of Traffic Safety. The county describes it as the region's first partnership of multiple agencies focused only on school traffic safety. Its main recommendation was more education for school staff, students, families and others about driving safely near schools. The Grand Prix gift pays for that education.

Crossing guards were part of the summer story too. FOX5 reported in July that officials were placing crossing guards at all elementary and middle schools in the valley, plus five high schools. The county said its crossing guard contractor, ACMS, held four hiring events across Clark County. A total of 302 people attended, and 210 applicants received conditional offers, all of which were accepted.

What Happens Next

The county has said what families should expect. According to Clark County, every CCSD and charter school student in the valley is set to receive school zone safety tip sheets, information about the new laws, guidance on electronic devices, parking violation warning cards and other safety materials. The county also said it will build a central online library so teachers can find these resources during the school year and after it.

For parents, that means watching what comes home in backpacks and what shows up in school emails and apps. Because the goal is one shared message, the materials from a CCSD school and a charter school should look and read the same. If you have one child at each kind of school, that is a good way to check whether the system is working. For teen drivers and their parents, the CCSD school safety website that KTNV pointed to is the place to look for the young driver information.

On the money side, the county has now stacked several school safety moves in a row. There are the new state penalties that started July 1. There is the Grand Prix education campaign. And this month there is the added crossing guard funding. The big question for the rest of the school year is whether crash numbers start to fall. That is what to watch.

Ryan's Take

I talk with families every week who are trying to pick a neighborhood. The questions are almost always about schools first. Which school is this house zoned for? Can my kids walk there? Is there a crossing guard at that big street? Those questions are about safety as much as test scores. A family looking at a home near a busy road wants to know how their kids will get to class in one piece.

That is why I like this effort. It is not flashy, and it is not a new building. It is one clear set of rules, sent to every public school family in the valley, paid for by a business that is part of our community. It also works well with the new state law and the extra crossing guard money. None of it replaces a driver who slows down and puts the phone away. But it gives parents and teens the same playbook. When I walk a home with a family, I tell them to drive the school route at drop-off time before they buy. You learn more from that drive than from any listing photo.

A driver's hand resting on a steering wheel, a reminder for Las Vegas teen drivers to keep both hands on the wheel and phones away in school zones

What You Can Do

If you are a parent, read what comes home. Look for the new tip sheets and the parking warning information, and talk about them at the dinner table. If you have a teen driver, try the steps Peggy Spears shared with KTNV: no phone while driving, quiz them on the rules of the road, and leave plenty of space between cars. You can also check CCSD's school safety site for the young driver information KTNV reported.

If you drive past a school, and most of us do, know the new rules. Nevada's school zone penalties for dangerous driving doubled on July 1, and the times when school crosswalk signals are active have expanded. When a school zone light is flashing, slow down. When someone is at a crosswalk, stop. Do not park in red zones or block crosswalks at pickup, even for a minute.

If you are a teacher or school staff member, watch for the central online library the county said it would build. It is meant to give educators the same materials families get, so classroom lessons and take-home sheets match.

And if you see a problem spot near your school, such as a crosswalk where drivers never stop or a corner with no crossing guard, tell your school and your city or county. Local leaders have shown this fall that they are listening, and they are putting money behind it.

Two young children holding hands as they walk down a street, a picture of why Clark County drivers are asked to slow down near schools

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