To the Editor:
Last year, I was crossing Charlesfield Street and saw that there was a car far down the road. When I reached the sidewalk, another student passed me, about to cross. Without thinking, I turned knowing that this car was approaching, just in time to watch the student be struck by the right front side of the vehicle. Having been the only witness, I was asked for a report from Brown and Providence police. After speaking to the Brown Department of Public Safety officer, he explained that a huge part of the problem with pedestrian accidents is that Brown police have no jurisdiction over traffic laws and are therefore not able to protect students and drivers to the best of their ability. He believes in the Brown police, who are always on campus and have the sole interest and purpose of maintaining the safety of Brown students.
At George Washington University, where I went before transferring to Brown, campus police liberally gave out large tickets to students for jaywalking. Students were obviously outraged but proceeded to stop jaywalking. Even in a large city where there are far more cars driving far faster, students on campus were much safer because they were more aware of their surroundings since they did not want to pay $100 for not crossing at the crosswalk. Campus police were also able to stop drivers not obeying traffic rules, which enabled students to walk around campus and feel safe.
For a small and relatively closed campus, the number of pedestrian-car, car-car and car-bicycle accidents is unbelievably high. The student that I saw hit was lucky that the driver had been safe and responsible and going below the speed limit, knowing that there were students around. But we have all seen the cars racing down Thayer Street while students are walking around at night. Also, on College Hill there are not enough crossing lights, and the crosswalks are often faded, which makes them less conducive to use and harder for drivers to see.
Students should feel safe not only in their dorms, but anywhere on campus. Although drivers being reckless is not preventable, there are obvious changes that the University needs to make so that this chain of accidents is cut. Unfortunately, too many accidents have happened and the changes will be retroactive, but something must be done so that students can maintain confidence that the school is doing its best to keep them safe.
Beyond what Brown can change, we all have to be as careful as we can. I implore that everyone look away from your phone, your iPod or your friend when you are crossing the road. The students hit on Friday night were being careful and were hit by a reckless driver. If you have a car on campus, learn from these events and be wary that students are not always checking both ways and may not be in the right mind when walking around.
Molly Chambers '11.5
