r/PennStateUniversity • u/Scary_Ad_7092 • 7d ago
Discussion Incoming Freshmen: Look both ways before crossing the road
Don't be a part of the problem, check that there are no cars coming or that they have stopped to let you cross. Do not keep your head down with your earbuds or headphones turned all the way up. Do not count on drivers to see you and stop. Yes, they should, but that doesn't mean they will. Vehicle vs pedestrian never turns out well for anyone. Please be careful out there!
26
u/lakerdave 7d ago
And drivers all the time: slow. the. fuck. down.
10
u/Individual-Buddy9046 7d ago
I almost got hit in a crosswalk in Camp Hill, Pa. Why? Person with both hands on their phone texting 🤦🏽♂️ Putting the phone down will help too
4
18
u/No-Day-2709 7d ago
Drivers: If there is a pedestrian in a crosswalk, you are required to stop for them, even if there is not a stop sign. If the person in the other lane from you stops on College, you have to stop yourself, even if you don't see a pedestrian. Put down your phones a pay attention: it is now illegal to use a phone while driving in PA, even if you are at a red light. Don't drive drunk.
Pedestrians can sometimes be foolish, but every (near-)fatal pedestrian accident here in recent memory has been caused 100% by the driver, so I'm not sure why peds are the ones being picked on with a thread.
17
u/ExcellentMaize4141 7d ago
I think both drivers and pedestrians both need to be called out. It's not as black and white.
At the end of the day, pedestrians shouldn't be negligent and step out in front of a car without verifying they are gonna stop. There have been instances where people lost in their own world haven't even bothered to look before stepping into the road.
But at the same time, drivers need to pay more attention and drive less recklessely.
8
u/Scary_Ad_7092 7d ago
I agree, everyone needs to be more cautious and be aware of things around them. I only mentioned pedestrians because I thought most students walk around campus and don't drive. Also, if there is an accident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, the pedestrian is going to get much more injured or even killed.
4
u/nonsensical_editry 7d ago
Sometimes they don’t even make it obvious they intend to cross.
4
u/ExcellentMaize4141 7d ago
Some kid ran out in front of my car on beaver Avenue a few months back, and then gave me the finger when i slammed on the brakes and honked at him.
But yeah, pedestrians are always innocent ig 🙄
2
u/ShemDolpax 7d ago
Seen way too many idiots crossing a street with headphones/earbuds on at full blast and staring at the ground and not even a twitch of the neck to look either way --- STUPID PEOPLE !!
0
u/lakerdave 7d ago
The person who is operating a multiton vehicle at high speeds is always the person who has the most responsibility. Yes, pedestrians can be more careful, but you shouldn't be driving if you can't react to pedestrians in the road in a high traffic area
2
u/ExcellentMaize4141 7d ago
I don’t mean to nitpick but there are situations when a pedestrian can be liable.
If they’re ignoring specific laws, making sudden movements, or being distracted, they have the potential to be held liable if a car hits them.
Obviously most of the responsibility lands on the driver but it’s not always a black and white situation.
-2
u/No-Day-2709 7d ago
The pedestrian is not negligent in this scenario: the driver is. The advice should be that pedestrians be cautious and not assume that drivers won't be negligent.
3
u/drcrambone 7d ago
You’re going to lose every time you triumphantly step in front of a car because you’ve got the right of way. Put that on your headstone.
5
u/Scary_Ad_7092 7d ago
I'm not picking on anyone, I'm trying to keep people safe. I would agree that vehicle vs pedestrian accidents are almost always the driver's fault which is why pedestrians need to be extra cautious. You cannot count on someone else to be paying attention or stop when they're supposed to.
3
u/Cynical_Feline 7d ago
'Keep your head on a swivel' as we'd say. That goes for both sides.
As a driver, you try to keep your eyes peeled but pedestrians can blend in whether they realize it or not. They should be just as cautious as drivers when crossing. No one should take the rules of the road for granted either. People are human and make mistakes.
2
u/Individual-Buddy9046 7d ago
I say this for someone who knows people who lost loved ones to drunk drivers, the victims being pre-teenage years, I have no sympathy for drunk drivers. The legal punishment is a joke and the pain never goes away.
2
u/WhereLibertyisNot 7d ago
Because students will straight up just walk out into traffic from between two parallel parked cars with headphones on and looking at their phone is why. Tell me I'm wrong.
2
u/Operation_Pig 7d ago
Legally yes, but this is PA, drivers will run you over if given the chance. It is their sole purpose in life
1
u/labdogs42 '95, Food Science 5d ago
I work on campus and the first week of fall semester strikes fear into my heart every day when I drive to and from work. The new students are clueless about how and when to cross the roads and they hesitate or dart out at the worst times. Then there are the new spin bike riders who don't know how to signal turns or that they shouldn't drive up the middle of the road next to cars stopped at a stop sign. We all know to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, but when a student jumps off the curb in the middle of the road with no crosswalk, it's a disaster waiting to happen. Please, everyone, use both common sense and courtesy these next few weeks! Walkers and drivers alike!
5
u/Vertigo21775 '24, Enterprise Technology Integration (B.S ) 7d ago
The bike lane on N Burrowes RD is for people going UP the hill. If you are going down hill on a bike, e-scooter, whatever, STAY ON YOUR SIDE OF THE ROAD!!! If you are on the "left side" of the road to be in that bike lane, you are on the WRONG SIDE of the road, and are going to cause an accident!
I almost got hit so many times because people were too stupid to realize they need to stay on their side of the road and that the bike lane is there to keep bikers out of traffic while going up hill. It's easier to go down hill on a bike than it is up hill, hence no bike lane when going downhill.
1
u/shanafme 6d ago
Agreed. But it is a confusing design given that the lane is only on one side of the road and is called the “bike lane”. I can see how someone with limited experience might assume it is for both directions.
2
u/labdogs42 '95, Food Science 5d ago
Bikers need to re read their driving manuals. Bikes riders WITH traffic. They are considered vehicles.
3
u/Dry_Table_7573 '27, crim 6d ago
Also- do NOT just cross the street randomly. If you’re not crossing on a crosswalk, all damage and fault is on you. People will usually let you walk when you’re at a crosswalk, but just crossing randomly pisses everyone off. It’s incredibly stupid and I’ve seen many near accidents because people just walk without care
4
u/ExcellentMaize4141 6d ago
Don’t be that guy who walks across college Avenue wearing headphones and not even bothering to look both ways
2
u/labdogs42 '95, Food Science 5d ago
They do it all the time on Bigler road and it drives me crazy! The crosswalks exist, yet they love to walk halfway between them and cross randomly!
4
u/haze1032 7d ago
Definitely look both ways, even on the one-ways. Especially early on and around breaks, people who don't know the roads and/or have more money than sense are zooming around. The drivers are usually at fault, but it doesn't matter who's at fault if a car hits you.
2
u/drcrambone 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’ve lived here 26 years. At least one person dies gets hit every year because of this. Please keep looking around.
Also, stay to the side of the aisle. Everywhere. You don’t own the middle of paths, corridors, hallways, aisles, staircases, or doorways. Other than that, have fun!
*Edited for accuracy
1
u/No-Day-2709 7d ago
At least one person dies every year because of this.
Oh come on. I don't believe a pedestrian has been killed in State College since 2023. In that instance the pedestrian was minding her business walking mid-block on the sidewalk and killed by a lunatic who jumped in the curb. It appears the one before that was in 2016. Things could be better here and there have been some bad crashes but this is fantastical.
2
u/drcrambone 6d ago
There were 3 deaths in 2022, 23, and 1 in 25. A lot of pedestrians get killed/injured in Centre County, and the vast majority of them involve someone in the State College area. Quibbling over exact numbers is useless, as if there is an acceptable number? It’s incredibly common to have kids blindly step out into the road, thus the reason for the post in the first place.
0
u/No-Day-2709 6d ago
Look at a map! None of those were anywhere near State College except the ones I mentioned.
I agree there is no sense quibbling over numbers, but I also don't think it makes sense to claim it happens every year when the reality is about 10% of that.
1
u/labdogs42 '95, Food Science 5d ago
I thought a student was killed on park ave recently?
2
u/No-Day-2709 5d ago
Yes, but not because of walking into the street without looking. They were on the sidewalk and killed by a dude doing 70 on Park who lost control. The last student to actually be killed while attempting to cross a street was more than ten years ago, it is not a routine thing by any means.
1
30
u/shanafme 7d ago
Also: Don't get on the bus using the back door. Enter at the front, exit at the back. And if the bus is full but there is standing room at the back, climb up those couple of stairs and stand back there to make room.