A driver struck a UCA student crossing an on-campus crosswalk last week, late Monday night.
While the student walked away unharmed, things could have gone differently.
Distracted driving is a major epidemic that society needs to nip in the bud sooner rather than later.
In this day and age, drivers will do anything to make driving seem less dull.
Whether it be someone scrolling on Instagram, toying with the radio or even watching Netflix on their phone, people need to pay more attention to the road when they’re operating a 4,000-pound machine.
The 21-year-old male UCA student who was hit last week had reportedly pressed the crosswalk button, which sends bursts of flashing lights on both sides of the road to alert drivers of a pedestrian crossing the street.
The driver, a 36-year-old woman, stated that she did not see the flashing lights and attempted to stop her vehicle when she noticed the student walking. Her car ultimately made contact with the student, thankfully without injuring him.
While the report did not state whether she was on her phone, a straightforward issue still needs to be addressed.
How on Earth are we going to prevent future crosswalk accidents from happening when the city and school have already installed over six crosswalk lights in and around campus?
What more can we do to help drivers pay attention besides having dozens of flashing lights dancing around the road to catch their eye before catching a case?
According to the official Arkansas Pedestrian Traffic Laws, if there is no traffic signal in place, all motor vehicles must yield to pedestrians crossing within a marked crosswalk.
That law is in place for almost every crosswalk around the UCA campus.
This issue goes a step further — drivers seem to be paying less attention around crosswalks and in areas like parking lots and connecting roads, which happen to make up over a quarter of campus.
Since Aug. 19 of this year, right around when students were moving back onto campus, there have already been eight parking lot accidents, three vehicular hit-and-run accidents, two careless driving incidents and two DWIs.
According to an article by the Governors Highway Safety Association that analyzed pedestrian fatalities from 2019-2022, data shows that deaths of people walking jolted upward of 19% over the course of the last three years.
It also appears that Arkansas had 2.2 pedestrian casualties per 100,000 people in 2022. It doesn’t seem like a lot until you realize there are over 3 million people in Arkansas. Do the math.
Distracted and careless driving in campus and school zones has been and will always be an issue, but drivers need to get a grip in the modern age, where it is easier than ever to be distracted thanks to cellphones.
It takes one second to go from having a carefree day to being behind bars for vehicular manslaughter, all because you wouldn’t pay attention.
Yes, accidents happen. But why are they happening in areas known for heavy foot traffic, such as college campuses?
Drivers are lazy, drivers are inattentive and drivers are ignorant. Everyone thinks it won’t happen to them until it does.
Make it your mission to be cautious and aware of your surroundings because one moment of weakness can ruin someone’s life, or worse, end it.
You are highly encouraged to stay off your phones while driving, but also while walking around campus, sidewalks, parking lots and crosswalks. It takes two to tango, and everyone on the road – walking, driving, biking, etc. – should be transporting themselves as safely as possible.