Pedestrian plowing: varsity sport of the parking lot

By Katrina Garcia
and Kirstie Hettinga
The Collegian

WE HATE PEDESTRIANS. Stop walking in front of our cars. Turn down your iPods and look both ways before crossing the street.

We shouldn’t have to tell you this. It’s all basic stuff you learned in the first grade, along with washing your hands after you go to the bathroom. Your mom shouldn’t have to hold your hand anymore.

And yet, University High School kids and even Fresno State students make the mistake of walking in front of moving vehicles.

It may be the indestructible nature of youth, but in a match of our cars versus your bodies, we’d put odds on the cars.

For example, a little over a week ago, while driving into the parking lot by UHS, a UHS kid darted right in front of one of our cars. The driver slammed on the brakes and watched him run through the crosswalk. When he got to the other side, the kid just looked back and laughed.

One of our pets, Petey, knows better than to run in front of cars driving through the neighborhood.

Looking back, that kid probably should have been hit to teach him a lesson — one known as survival of the fittest.

This is sometimes described as, “Only the strongest survive.”

Or the smartest.

Or the ones who know not to run in front of a hurtling object that weighs — well, a lot.

Humans have multiple sensory organs, such as ears and eyes. This built-in protection system enables people to be aware of their surroundings and should prevent them from putting themselves in danger, or in front of a car.

We know there can be a lot of distractions out there, but if your iPod is so loud you can’t hear oncoming traffic, you’re not only killing your hearing, you’re risking your life. And if you’re wearing your stunna glasses at night, you’re not going to see our headlights shining in your face.

According to a 2005 article from a University of Arkansas, 6,000 pedestrians are killed every year, and 90,000 are injured. In 2004, eight pedestrians died in Fresno — and seven of the incidents were the fault of the pedestrians.

So obviously, pedestrians do not always have the right of way. These people felt like they were in the right, and they were, all the way to the grave.

We admit that crosswalks are your domain. However, when moseying through the campus parking lots while listening to your newly downloaded My Chemical Romance on your iPod Shuffle, move over.

Some of these suggestions also applies to bicyclists, skateboarders and people riding scooters. Just because you have wheels doesn’t mean that you’re any less vulnerable than people traveling on their two feet.

This may sound like a long list of pedestrian problems, but following these basic concepts may end up saving a life or two. Young drivers aren’t known for having the best reaction time when behind the wheel, so it’s everyone’s responsibility to keep their eyes on the road.

In the long run, we’re just asking you to avoid putting dents in our cars, but remember, body shops are for cars, not for people.

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