1. STOP the Madness
By Amber Seifert
How many times have you driven through the parking garages on campus and at the same time
you are rounding the corner, so is someone else which almost causes you to crash into each
other? I can’t count on both of my hands how many times this has happened to me.
These small incidences bug me on a level that is out of this world because a lot of these can be
avoided by; first, not driving in the middle of the parking garage like you’re the only car that is
going to be there. Drivers who do this are putting their lives and the lives of others at risk,
especially when rounding the corners. Drive in your “lane” through these garages and there
shouldn’t be such an issue. Secondly, putting stop signs in the garages I believe would help
tremendously.
I witnessed an accident in the Union Parking Garage; there was a car going straight in from the
entrance toward the building and there was a car coming across the garage going toward the exit,
that’s when the two collided. Had one or both of them had a stop sign, that accident could have
been easily avoided.
I completely understand that it would not make sense to have them in all of the garages around
campus; however, in specific places I believe there is a need for stop signs. In the parking
garages where there isn’t any cross-traffic there can at least be speed bumps to prevent drivers
from speeding through those garages like bats out of Hell.
Another thing that would help reduce accidents in the garages on campus would be if all of us
drivers decided to get off of their phones and pay attention to what they are supposed to be
doing, which is driving. That is our number one job as responsible adults who drive. If not doing
it to keep yourself and your passenger’s safe, then do it to keep others and their loved ones safe.
Wouldn’t you feel awful if you crashed into someone with a baby in the car and the baby got
hurt, or the parent became somehow paralyzed? I know that seems a little bit extreme, but it is
completely plausible.
I’m just trying to get us all to start thinking about others instead of ourselves, and to start being
responsible with things that can impact others’ lives. It only takes one little mistake like not
paying attention to what you’re doing to change lives. If this article impacts you in any way and
you know who to present something like this to, please let me know or take the initiative if you’d
like so that we can make a campus that’s safer!