LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The police officer dressed in a large red heart costume stood out while walking across the street yet more than 130 drivers were pulled over for not stopping to let him cross the street in a marked crosswalk.
It was part of a safety campaign to alert drivers to pay more attention to pedestrians. Police said it’s already been a deadly year in Clark County with an average of two pedestrians a week getting killed in the first six weeks of the year.
On Tuesday, police from Las Vegas Metropolitan police, North Las Vegas police, and Clark County School District police came together for four hours — as they do several times a year — to remind drivers to be alert when around pedestrians and crosswalks.
The officer, dressed in a large heart costume, used a crosswalk repeatedly on Rainbow Boulevard and Dewey Drive as motorcycle officers waited nearby to nab drivers for failing to stop.
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“Don’t Stop a Heart, Have a Heart. Stop for Pedestrians in the Crosswalk.” (KLAS) -
According to the release, drivers traveling at 30 mph or more are unlikely to notice pedestrians unless they are actively looking for them. The risks become even more severe at higher speeds. (KLAS) -
Law enforcement officers gathered at South Rainbow Boulevard and West Dewey Drive, dressed in bright red heart costumes with blue veins. (KLAS) -
An average of two pedestrians were killed each week during the first six weeks of 2025, a release from the campaign said. (KLAS) -
Nevada’s Have a Heart campaign promotes pedestrian safety awareness. (KLAS)
In all, 136 drivers were pulled over and 127 were ticketed for either failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk or passing a vehicle that stopped at a crosswalk to allow a pedestrian the right of way.
“If you can’t see one of our costumed officers, you aren’t going to see one of the kiddos on their way to and from school,” the Clark County School District Police Department posted on its Facebook page.
According to CCSDPD, 14 pedestrians have died already this year and 85 students were hit by cars on their way to or from school.
Drivers traveling at 30 mph or more are unlikely to notice pedestrians unless they are actively looking for them, police said. The risks become even more severe at higher speeds.
A news release for the annual Have a Heart, Stop for Pedestrians campaign said a pedestrian hit by a vehicle traveling at 45 mph has a 90 percent chance of not surviving.
The campaign suggests drivers follow these rules:
- If you are moving more than 15 mph, you need to scan right and left to see pedestrians, they won’t be in your natural field of vision.
- Make eye contact and let the pedestrian know you have seen them.
- In an active school zone or crossing zone, it is unlawful to pass another vehicle, no matter the speed of the slowest driver. Drivers may not turn right or left when there is a pedestrian in any of the lanes of travel in the direction they are turning.
“Please SLOW DOWN and keep an eye out for those pedestrians,” CCSDPD said.
