Using the crosswalks on campus is dangerous.
I told my friend last week that I almost got in a fight with a car.
She asked me, “How can someone get in a fight with a car?” I told her that had a car hit me as I crossed Wahnish Way, I would have damaged it as much as I could.
During the two years I’ve attended FAMU, there has never been a moment when I ‘ve walked on a crosswalk near the cafeteria or any other pedestrian walkway on campus, without thinking that I might be walking to my death.
According to http:// car-accidents-florida.com, the U.S. Department of Transportation counted 4,881 pedestrians killed by cars on U.S. roads and highways in 2005. Another 78,000 were injured when struck.
When drivers approach the crosswalk, the white stripes are big enough to be seen, so why don’t motorists want to stop?
Motorists on campus need to start respecting students by stopping when they are supposed to. Their tardiness or impatience should not be connected to the reason that a student loses his or her life.
FAMU police should give tickets to those who do not have the decency to stop at crosswalks. Less emphasis should go toward trying to circumvent people from parking in areas that they should not park in, and more should be focused on the safety of students who choose to cross Wahnish Way by foot.
Forget about towing and booting cars.
People should get booted and towed for endangering the lives of FAMU students, when they do not apply their brakes. FAMU could make millions of dollars from ticketing these violators. Maybe with the money acquired, FAMU would never be in another financial crisis .
Drivers appear to stop more frequently at night for pedestrians than they do during the day. Why do drivers almost run students over when they are visible, but slow down and even stop when sight is at a minimum?
With all the possible ways to get injured or die in Tallahassee, who would have ever thought that crossing Wahnish Way to go to class would be at the top of the list of the most dangerous things to do?
Drivers, when you see a pedestrian simply trying to cross the street to get something to eat or buy a much-needed book for class, please stop.
Latasha Edwards is a junior public relations student from Houston. She can be reached at latasha_edwards@yahoo. com.