By Kristin Burns
Baylor students risk their lives for the sake of higher education. Not every student lives on the edge of danger, but there is a high percentage of students who look death in the eye on a daily basis.
I’m talking about the average student pedestrian on campus. I find it miraculous that the pedestrian mortality rate is as low as it is. Walking from class to class becomes an epic form of the arcade game “Frogger.”
Pedestrians have the “right of way.” But this does not exist on Baylor’s campus.
It is every man for himself. If you make it home in one piece, you have accomplished a phenomenal feat of bravery and heroics.
Every day, I wake up in a cold sweat at the thought of facing the crowds of mopeds, bikes, skateboards, motorcycles, cars and even roller skates.
You must keep your wits about you while walking across the street.
I am a junior, and in the three years I’ve been at Baylor, I’ve been clipped by three bikes, a moped and flattened by a freshman on a skateboard.
The odds are definitely not in the favor of the students who choose to brave the sidewalks on their own two feet. Frat guys sit three to a seat on a moped and swerve out of control, ready to end your very life on Fifth Street. Bikers speed through crowds of sorority women, pleased by the sounds of their terrified screams as they leap out of the way.
Has the world gone mad? The Baylor police need to stop cruising 10th Street and start handing out tickets to bikers and skateboarders who do not obey the common laws of propriety. Every day, I’m afraid that I will see an article in the Lariat titled “Freshman in ICU after being hit by three football players on a moped.”
I have mastered the art of dodging and leaping to save my own life.
Twice last week, I saved the life of my sophomore friend who has not learned the tricks of the trade.
When will it end?
Last year, I was thrown into the grass by someone who mumbled something like, “sorry, dog” while careening out of control on her long board. How narrowly I avoided death!
I ask my fellow pedestrians to rise up in protest at the lack of common courtesy by those who drive larger vehicles.
We are not moving targets to be dodged and swerved around. We enjoy life just as much as those who ride Razor scooters through the crowd.
We must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Those who walk to class should not thank the Lord above every evening that they still have their arms and legs intact.
There needs to be accountability for speeds that motorcycles can follow while roaring through campus while the driver flexes their skinny muscles.
Because the majority of students on campus are pedestrians, we need to protect the security of the masses. By doing so, we could protect the lives of thousands of students in the future.
Kristin Burns is a junior professional writing major from Longview. She is a reporter for The Lariat.
