The accident involving a male pedestrian who was hit while crossing the street last Thursday, next to the Hornet Bookstore, should be a wake-up a call for all the students who tear down State University Drive with reckless abandon.

We tend to get caught-up in the whole process of driving to school, finding a parking spot and getting to class on time. If you?re like me, you?re usually late and often times traffic rules are sacrificed; yellow lights are run, stop signs are coasted through, and speed limits?what are those? I admit, I?m guilty of guerrilla driving. I can?t help it if I get impatient. But an incident like this makes me reconsider my tactics.

On my to way to my 6 p.m. class in Mendocino Hall, I heard sirens and watched the traffic deadlock. How are you supposed to pull over on a two-lane road with no shoulder? As I neared the bookstore, I came upon the fallen pedestrian, surrounded by police and onlookers, covered with a blanket laying on the pavement. People were huddled by him, offering kind words. They were probably telling him that everything was going to be OK, that he would be all right. People came out of the freight entrance of the bookstore to gawk, and students walking stopped to watch the spectacle. I looked around just long enough to take it in. Like Holden Caulfield, I hate rubberneckers.

This incident has really forced me to think about the way I drive my car, not just on campus, but also around town and on the freeway. Is it really necessary to put people?s lives in danger so I can reach my destination five or 10 minutes earlier? I think from now on I will just leave five or 10 minutes earlier.And I know that is hard.

As students, our schedules are so tight and we are inevitably always on the move. Whether it?s from work to school or from school to work, it is the symbolic cross (or noose) that we are forced to bear. But how hard is it to follow the rules in the DMV handbook and yield to pedestrians? People rarely yield for me when I am crossing the street. This type of kindness and courtesy should be common on a college campus. An extreme example is the UC Davis campus where pedestrians, and cyclists are kings. You can barely drive 50 feet without having to let some pachouli-wearing hippie cross the street, but if it means the difference between seriously injuring someone or showing up to class on time, I would choose to be a little late to class. I am sure your professor would understand.

On a related note, although not quite as serious, after parking illegally with a parking pass that was two days old (Why do these machines never take dollar bills?), I almost got backed over by a white car in the parking lot across from the Shasta Hall. Somebody decided to pull out of his or her parking spot and throw it in reverse, without looking, for about 10 feet so they didn?t have to make a loop around the parking lot to reach the exit. At first I couldn?t believe it and then my disbelief turned to anger. This person didn?t even wave to say they were sorry.

Is Matt Wagar?s opinion way off? E-mail him at [email protected].