Collision Conundrum

By: Eli Garmon

There has been a common problem across campus involving unsafe driving techniques, and the problem areas are not contained solely on the roads but within the parking lots as well.

University of Findlay sophomore Allison Adams experienced a crash the first week of classes, a collision took place in the parking lot behind Lovett and Deming. Adams was one of four people involved with this collision. Of the four cars that were involved, two were parked, one of them being Adams’ car, and she was not present at the time of the collision.

“One vehicle didn’t stop at the alley between parking lots and hit another car that was in the alley and the force of the impact pushed the second car into my parked car and then pushed my car forward into another parked vehicle,” said Adams.

Accidents on campus can happen often and many people on campus believe that the biggest contributing factor for most of these collisions are due to people speeding thorough the parking lots. Diana Montague is a professor and chair of communication department at UF. She has an office in the communication house which is beside Egner and there is a parking lot in between the two. This parking lot is a high traffic area and is also a place where drivers speed.

“The speed limit in the parking lots are supposed to be five miles an hour and certainly people zip in and out back here much faster than five miles and hour,” Montague said. “Sometimes it’s a little scary walking from my office in the back of the communication house over to Egner. People do speed through here and they shouldn’t.”

On the University of Findlay campus, her opinion is shared with the chief of police and Director of Security, William Spraw.

“Probably the most unsafe driving we see on campus in people driving too fast through the parking lots,” Spraw said. “Approximately three accidents happen every month.”

According to Spraw, there are 1166 registered faculty and staff drivers, 1039 registered resident drivers, and 1867 registered commuter drivers. That is 4072 drivers all together on a campus that is, according to Google Maps, 258 acers.

There seems to be a common problem on campus among students and faculty, where are the speed limit signs in the parking lot posted?

“You know,” Montague said as she looked out her window to view the parking lot. “I’m looking from here and I can’t see any and that’s a good question. Where’s the posted speed limits signs?”

Spraw was not certain of where all of the speed limit signs are and how many there are on campus but does not think that is what matters.

“Not sure how many,” Spraw said. “They are interspersed around the parking lots. It shouldn’t be necessary to post a speed limit. Drivers should know not to drive at an unsafe speed in the parking lots.”

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