By Joshua Pineda
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.(UATV) – The importance of cross walk safety is pivotal for all including parties. Failing to pay attention could result in an accident which no one wants to be apart of.
On Sept. 30th, two students were struck by cars in two separate locations no more than four hours apart. The first student was riding an e-scooter, crossing a sidewalk near Adohi when she was struck by a car. That student was later transported to a hospital where she recieved treatment for her injuires. The second student was walking near the PI Phi gates at the crosswalk when she was hit.
Now two students were involved in crosswalk incidents in the span of four hours. While it does seem simple, crossing the road while there is oncoming traffic is something in which one needs to pay attention to.
On Monday, Oct 11th, another student was hit by a car in which the pedestrian was riding a spin scooter and entered a crosswalk while the driver was looking away. Three accidents in less than three weeks is a sign to be concerned.
Andrea Valverde, a senior at the U of A, says a lot of the time she avoids a lot of the crosswalks that are not at stoplights because she doesn’t trust the traffic.
” At the U of A, I do not really feel safe using some of the crosswalks that are not at a stoplight. I feel cars do not really see us at the crosswalks where there isn’t a stoplight. I have seen a lot of people almost get hit, including myself. It is really scary to think about. ”
According to UAPD records, there have been six accidents regarding pedestrians getting hit by cars since the start of the year. Since 2015, there have been a total of 39 accidents including 2021. While this number may not seem overwhelming, the fact that there has been 3 accidents in almost 3 weeks is a sign to be concerned.
When people hear about these reports, most tend to automatically assume that these are the drivers fault. In the six accidents that took place this year, half of them were the drivers fault and the other half was the pedestrians fault.
According to the University’s campus safety website regarding scooters,” yield to vehicle traffic at crosswalks and intersection.”
Two of the incidents did not follow this rule and therefore the cause of the accident. Both parties must follow these in order to everyone safe and to not add to the number of accidents.
Jake Irwin, a junior, knows what it is like to be on the causing end of a potential accident and knows that everyone must play their part.
” I almost hit someone while driving and I stopped in time but this person just crossed the road without using the crosswalk. It was definitely scary because this would not have happened have they used the crosswalk.”
Look before crossing the street. A simple phrase most have heard all of their lives and that very phrase can be the one that prevents anymore accidents from having.