Safe Driving

By: Brandi Lessner

A new school year has begun and everyone is excited and ready for all of the great things fall brings. With many new students joining us at FSU, everyone will be giving advice on how to acclimate to these new surroundings.

While it is important to understand dorm life and how to use Blackboard, one commonly overlooked aspect of a new city is how to get from one place to another safely. Tallahassee, especially the area around campus, is a highly populated space with a lot of vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Nothing can ruin the start of a brand new semester quicker than an accident or traffic ticket. Here are some tips for making sure your semester is a fun and safe experience.

1. No matter how you are traveling on campus, be mindful of other travelers.
If you are driving, watch very carefully for pedestrians and bicyclists. You cannot count on them to always see you, and many have been struck by vehicles. If you are walking, only walk in designated areas — crosswalks and sidewalks — as it is not the responsibility of the driver if you are walking where you should not be. If you are biking, you are legally required to follow the same traffic laws as vehicles. This means no running stop signs, red lights, etc.

2. Follow speed limit postings.
They are there for a reason. Speed limits tend to decrease in heavily trafficked areas to make sure everyone is traveling at a safe speed and has time to stop in case of an obstruction.

3. Do not follow too closely.
So many accidents occur on Tennessee Street and other major streets around campus because of drivers not giving themselves enough space to come to a full stop.

4. Never run red lights.
Not only is it unsafe, but it will most likely get you a ticket, whether a police officer sees you or not. Tallahassee has recently installed red light cameras at hundreds of intersections, around 20 of which are immediately on or directly next to campus, and a ticket will be mailed to your residence if you run a red light.

For more information on red light camera locations, visit www.talgov.com/traffic/cameras.cfm.