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, I believe putting more stop signs in the garages 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 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 all over in 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 our phones and pay attention to what we 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 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, or you know someone to present something like this to, please take the initiative so that we can make a campus that’s safer for everyone.