Carry urges students to take pedestrian safety seriously
Since the beginning of the semester, three pedestrian and car accidents have occurred on campus. In two of those cases, the pedestrians suffered life-threatening injuries. Nationally, the number of pedestrian and car accidents are on the rise; this is a growing trend that we must work together to combat. Two studies provide further insight:
Talking on the phone while traveling, whether driving or on foot, is increasing both pedestrian deaths and those of drivers and passengers. Professor Peter Loeb at Rutgers University discovered that the high number of cell phones in use has increased the number of pedestrian and car accidents. Studies show that Walking While Texting, Walking While Cellphoning and Texting While Driving are becoming fatal mistakes.
Compounding the situation is the change in daylight-savings time. Carnegie Mellon University scientist--Paul Fischbeck and David Gerard--concluded that pedestrians walking during evening rush hour are nearly three times more likely to be struck by a car in the weeks after the fall time change. The problem is that pedestrians and drivers have gotten used to more than six months of visibility during those hours and are slow to adapt to the danger of the darkness.
As such, I would like to offer the following words of advice:
Use sidewalks. Always walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk and you must walk in the road, walk in the direction that faces traffic.
Use crosswalks. When using the crosswalk, give drivers ample time to stop before entering the crosswalk and make eye-contact with drivers to confirm they are stopping. When crossing a multiple lane roadway, visually clear each lane as you proceed. Don't assume that since one driver stopped that the other one will also stop.
Parked cars. Avoid crossing the street between parked cars. Sometimes drivers are pulling out of a parking space and their attention is focused more on oncoming traffic rather than on pedestrians.
Left--right--left. When I was in the fifth grade, we learned a simple street crossing rule that I use to this day. The rule is: pedestrians should look left, right, then left again before crossing the road.
Electronic device warning. Put down your cell phone and remove your headphones when crossing the street. It is the only way you can be sure that you are not distracted.
Alcohol warning. Alcohol and drugs impair your ability to drive safely, just as it impairs your ability to walk safely. Do not assume that because you are walking drunk that you are safe. Find a sober friend to help you get home.
Do not assume. Every country has slightly different driving rules and driving norms. In some countries pedestrians have the right of way and may cross wherever they see fit. Depending on where you live, crosswalks may not exist; therefore, drivers do not understand that they must yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks. Wherever you go, pay attention to the rules of the road and take personal responsibility for your safety. Do not assume you and the driver are on the same page; in fact, assume just the opposite.
Your safety is our number one concern. When a student is injured in a car accident or responsible for striking a pedestrian, the entire Auburn family is affected. There are simple things we can do to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities. The most important thing is to pay attention.
Tags: Dr. Carry, pedestrian safety
November 16th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Dr Carry,
I greatly appreciate your article. However I think it’s more important to inform our students that people at crosswalks DO have the right of way. Many people are ignorant to these laws and driving safety is very important to me as well as dealing with how to drive next to bike lanes since many people are uneducated about that as well. I am thankful for your article and for you taking time to address the issue.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
“Your safety is our number one concern.” thank god one admin finally cares about me! you wouldn’t know it from the way students are treated now.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I was hit by a car crossing the street in the crosswalk on campus in the spring semester. I thank God that it wasn’t life-threatening but it’s been a bit of a struggle since. I’m a witness that just because one driver stops doesn’t mean the other is paying attention at all. Be careful, people.
November 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Pedestrians do have the right of way but don’t rely on that because it could get you run over. ALWAYS make sure drivers see you before you start crossing the street.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
‘Daylight Saving Time’
No hyphen. No pluralization.
Drivers do need to be aware of the rules, but it’s not entirely their fault. Many people don’t cross at crosswalks, and it can sometimes be hard to see them. In addition, many people riding bikes don’t seem to be aware that they need to follow traffic rules like automobiles. Signaling, etc.
November 16th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Magnolia needs to be lit up like a Christmas tree as well as the cross walks. It is extremely hard to see pedestrians and in parts of town the cross walks even have led lights to inform the drivers they are approaching cross walks. In my opinion the cross walks on Magnolia should have been raised like the ones on campus between the Hill and Chemistry buildings.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Atlanta has signs at crosswalks that say something like “State Law Requires Traffic to Yield to Pedestrians.” Auburn should consider getting these. While most drivers know this, it doesn’t always register. Posted signs would help remedy that problem.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Thank you for the article. On two times recent occasions I was about to cross the street using a crosswalk on campus and realized the car was not going to stop. Once was around 7:50 a.m. and the other time was around 4:45 p.m. One time it was a white female around age 35. The other time a black female around age 45. One of them was texting and the other was talking on the phone. Neither had a C-Zone parking tag, but an A zone and I assume they were high-tailing it on their way to and from work. So, I believe you need to alert the faculty that they are on a school and they might want to slow down. It isn’t just the students. All these southern management people and other service workers I see driving like morons all the time. Also, if maybe we actually had some police to watch some of these crosswalks, from a car parked to the side, I”m pretty sure we could make up whatever budget shortfall the city has in a single day with the number of tickets they would write to drivers that don’t stop.
July 30th, 2010 at 4:24 am
Brilliant ! I would like to attachenter a video to illustate your excellent article, but I don’t know how to do ? Can someone help me ?