Every time I have the misfortune of being out on a New Jersey road, I pray that my life will be spared by the bloodthirsty Jersey drivers. I already despised driving, and I realized upon moving here that I had it easy with the obnoxious trucks down south. As Drew is a school right in the middle of North Jersey, there are naturally going to be a lot of Jersey drivers speeding through campus.
I would like to reassure everyone that not all Jersey drivers are out for blood. But I and multiple other people have had too close encounters with the hood of a fast-moving car. It’s all fun and games joking about “free tuition” until you are staring down into the headlights of a car that is inches away from you and the fear sets in. It is a real problem on campus that needs to be tackled for the safety of all students on campus.
First things first, for those who drive on campus, simply be aware of your speed. The campus itself takes five minutes to drive across, so there is no feasible reason to be speeding across our two-inch-long school. This is especially true during the night when the visibility is lower. The importance increases with the effects of Daylight Savings, where the sunset can be as early as 4:45 p.m.
Secondly, there is an overall lack of lighting in crosswalks on campus. This is a huge safety issue that is bound to lead to problems later down the line. For example, the crosswalk that leads you to Tolley-Brown Circle.This is an area that is pitch black during the night, and with so many dorms around, it is just an accident waiting to happen. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve watched cars recklessly speed through this specific spot. I can recall three separate occasions when I have come too close to a car on this crosswalk.
Luckily for us, this issue has been brought up to Student Government a handful of times, who are working to get proper lighting in high-traffic areas. In an email sent out on Nov. 7, they mention that they are working with RHA and Facilities to add more lighting in places such as the crosswalk that leads to the Dorothy Young Center and a flashing sign at the crosswalk of Tolley-Brown Circle. They go on to say in the email that “…facilities will be doing a walkthrough and based on the budget, more lights will possibly be put up in other locations.”
Therefore, we as the student body should continue to support Student Government as they work out the finer details to make this happen. In the meantime, we should be conscious of our speed as we drive through campus as well as keep an eye out for random cars zipping across blind corners. As nice as “free tuition” sounds, catching up on school work in a hospital bed because of a reckless driver does not sound like a good way to spend your semester.
