The Collegian Weekly

The opinion of The Collegian editorial staff

Pedestrians should cross at crosswalks

When the last Friday classes let out for the weekend, the remaining students pick up their backpacks and hurry down Manning Street. With AirPods blasting and a brisk pace set, it would be inconvenient at best and disastrous at worst to stop at the pesky intersections along the way home. But for a driver on their own timely journey, clueless student pedestrians wandering into traffic, heads down and eyes on phones, leaves an impression of carelessness unbecom - ing to Hillsdale College students.

Living on a campus as small as Hillsdale’s makes it easy to forget that the surrounding town doesn’t always operate on the same wavelength. Drivers shouldn’t have to dodge jaywalkers on all corners of campus just so students can save a few seconds of time on their walk to class.

Beyond inconveniencing fellow pedestrians, blindly stepping into the road creates a great accident risk. Consider the overenthusiastic freshman, who’s just gotten his first car and can finally take himself to Kroger. While someone out for a walk might assume he sees them hurrying into the street, he’s busy developing his multitasking skills. With Taco Bell in one hand and Snapchat open in the other, he might not exercise those fine motor skills quite in time. Don’t count on a speeding driver to see you. Give both yourself and them plenty of time to pass by.

For the average driver in Hillsdale County, rolling through the streets surrounding campus can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially on dimly lit streets at night. Students tend to behave as though they have the right of way even if that means darting across Hillsdale Street before an unsuspecting minivan catches up to them. This Christmas, give your fellow townspeople the gift of peace. Cross at crosswalks.