Driving Safely On Campus

As a university student, you're probably inundated with statistics regarding car accidents and young drivers. You already know that road crashes are the largest cause of death of people aged fifteen to twenty-four - and chances are you've heard that twenty-three people your age are killed in a car crash every day.

You probably also know that the two most common factors in auto accidents involving young drivers are excessive speeding and use of alcohol, two things that some think are inextricably linked to the college experience.

Avoiding car accidents is difficult enough on highways and city streets, but in the close confines of a university campus where there are more pedestrians, more people on bikes, skate boards, and skates, and campus police as well as other university staff who are always on the lookout for student infractions, being a safe driver becomes that much more important.

General tips for safe driving that apply on city streets as well as your campus include:

• Drink responsibly. If you're going to be drinking, don't drive, or make sure your group includes a designated driver.
• Obey the speed limit. On campus, most roads are limited to 20 mph, but parking lots have a speed limit of only 10 mph.
• Obey posted signs and signals. Yellow curbs, handicapped spaces, stop- and yield- signs and "no parking" zones are there to protect everyone.
• Maintain a safe distance from other cars. The old adage holds true: if you can read the Delta Sigma Theta bumper sticker on the car ahead of you, you're too close to it.

Other things to be aware of on campus are:

• Pedestrians have the right of way in most parts of the campus.
• Skate boarders and inline skaters tend to dart into traffic without looking. If you're in a car and you hit them, you will be held responsible, even if they were really in the wrong.
• Even if you live in a sorority/fraternity house, you have to have a campus decal in order to drive or park on campus.
• Don't overload your car with people or possessions. In most states having more people in a car than there are seatbelts is illegal, and if your car is so packed that your view is obscured, it's dangerous.

In addition to general good driving on campus, you'll also want to keep two things in your car with you at all times, and in your purse or backpack as well: the number of your auto insurance agent, and the number for the university police.

Your insurance agent can help you with everything from insurance quotes to confirming whether a university-offered driving class may qualify you for a discount (your parents will love that, if they're still footing your insurance bill) to what happens if a friend borrows your car and crashes it. The university police, on the other hand, can usually jump-start your car if you leave your lights on long enough to kill your battery (a common occurrence during rainy weather), or offer you an escort if you have to walk back to your dorm to pick up a spare key.

Having your car at school can mean the difference between a good college experience and a great one. Knowing how to safely operate it on campus gives you - and your parents - peace of mind.