Over winter break, a vehicle struck a student while she was crossing the street on the University campus.

The pedestrian was on her way to the bookstore on Dec. 8 when a gold Chevy Malibu at Acadia and Leighton Drive hit her. In her own statement, the pedestrian said she saw the vehicle, but thought she could cross the street before the vehicle reached her. She admitted that it was her own fault and she should have used the crosswalk.

Legally, pedestrians have the right-of-way only at controlled intersections and in marked crosswalks. When not using crosswalks, pedestrians are expected to yield to vehicles.

University Police Chief Craig Jacuzzo said speed was not a factor in this particular accident. Based on the extent of injuries the pedestrian suffered, the driver was believed to be traveling approximately five miles per hour.

Jacuzzo, who has been with University Police for 12 years, said that pedestrian accidents are not new to the University campus.

“We’ve had pedestrian accidents, and I’ll tell you that in majority of them, the pedestrian is the one that has been at fault,” Jacuzzo said. “They have been distracted and have not used the crosswalks. They get preoccupied and walk out in front of vehicles.”

Jacuzzo explained that crosswalks around campus are designed to help drivers stop for pedestrians, but pedestrians are still responsible for paying attention.

“Prior to approaching the crosswalk, we have bumper lines to draw the attention of the driver to see that they’re coming to a cross walk to prepare to reduce their speed and stop,” Jacuzzo said.

The University has also recently added yellow lights to crosswalks on Audubon and Bowie Road.

“A lot of times people just walk and automatically assume they have the right of way so they’ll go out there,” Jacuzzo said. “You can’t expect a moving vehicle to stop instantly if you just dart out in front of them. That is where who’s at fault in an accident becomes debatable.”

According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2006, pedestrian deaths that occurred on an actual crosswalk accounted for less than nine percent of all fatalities; 21 percent of fatalities occurred in roadways where crosswalks were available, but pedestrians chose not to use them.

“Walkers think they have the right-of-way, and when we look at the actions of the driver, we see that they’ve done everything in their appropriate measure to avoid an accident,” Jacuzzo said.

Jacuzzo also mentioned that bicycles are not exempt from traffic laws.

“Just because you do not need a license to drive a bicycle, does not mean you can ignore traffic laws,” Jacuzzo said.

Bicyclists are expected to travel in the same direction of traffic, and should be treated like vehicles.

As for any truth behind the urban legend, “if you get hit in a crosswalk on campus, your tuition will be paid,” Jacuzzo said he did not know.

“I’m sure if you get hit by accident, the university has procedures and we have reporting mechanisms that we report liability through risk management, but I’m not aware of that,” Jacuzzo said. “That would be a whole other division of the University.”