Massachusetts is widely known for its university campuses. For decades, campuses have been swarming with pedestrians, cyclists, and cars full of students coming to and from class. Combine this busy all-day traffic with distracted drivers, pedestrians with headphones, cellphones and general distractions and you have a scene ripe for accidents. Tufts University departments are teaming up to launch an extensive campaign to improve safety for pedestrians. After a string of accidents and hundreds of on-campus accidents nationwide, other universities should consider following the lead.
Pedestrian safety on-campus can prevent accidents and injuries. Our Massachusetts pedestrian accident attorneys are dedicated to helping victims and their families recover compensation and move forward after an accident. We are also dedicated to safety and awareness campaigns that aim to prevent future accidents and injuries. In-line with the goals of Tufts, we believe that implementing regulations and raising awareness is critical in reducing the overall number of campus pedestrian accidents.
Nationwide, there has been an increasing number of pedestrian and cyclist accidents on public and private university campuses. This could be partly related to a spike in matriculation; however, it could also be related to driver and pedestrian distraction. Universities and other public health agencies are urging students, teachers and staff to remain aware of the dangers of busy, high-traffic campus intersections and to take precaution while on campus.
For the past few years, Tufts Department of Public and Environmental Safety (DPES) and the University Police Department have collaborated to increase safety and awareness on campus. New signage, crosswalks, trimmed trees, and new traffic lights are some of the on-campus changes that have been made to promote pedestrian safety. The city and university hope that increasing the line of vision and promoting safe navigation through intersections will successfully reduce pedestrian accidents.
In addition to the basics, the university has also hired a safety consulting firm to analyze certain intersections that have increasingly become a problem, or, a common accident location. This firm has been charged with providing recommendations on how the university could be safer for pedestrians and motorists. The university is taking these recommendations and implementing changes campus wide to improve visibility and the safety of intersections.
While the university can make specific efforts to make intersections and crossing areas safe, pedestrians should also be aware and avoid distracted walking. Parents should remind students to stay alert when crossing the streets. Friends, books, iPods, cell phones, and food are all common distractions that can result in serious and catastrophic accidents. Despite the efforts and safety campaign waged by the university, students will still be at risk when it comes to driver negligence. Pedestrians should always be alert when on-foot, look both ways, and be wary of reckless drivers.
Any student that has been injured while on a Massachusetts campus should pursue an independent investigation to identify the cause of the accident and all responsible entities. Victims of pedestrian or bicycle accidents often suffer very severe and permanent injuries, including broken bones, lacerations, head and neck injuries, brain injuries, paralysis, and in some cases, accidental death.
If you or a loved one was involved in a pedestrian accident, contact Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call (617) 777-7777 today.
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