The accident that took the life of Dorris Hallie, the wife of a former Wesleyan professor, received too little attention on campus. Hallie was crossing Washington Street when a car hit her. We should honor Hallie’s memory by paying more attention when we cross the street and remember to use crosswalks with a walk signal activated.
We’ve all seen students distractedly crossing the street. Many have an iPod headphone in one ear and a cellphone in the other. Perhaps that’s you too. As we’re increasingly distracted at more moments of our lives, it’s important to remember the safety tips we all learned in elementary school: Push the walk button, wait for the signal, and look both ways.
Being careless may not just result in an accident, it could also cost you. Middletown police have been known to fine students for jaywalking.
The Jan. 29 accident that took Hallie’s life prompted Middletown Mayor Domenique Thorton to send a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting a safety review. Plans are being considered by the DOT to add a traffic light with a pedestrian button at the intersection of Washington and Park Place. We strongly encourage that a traffic light be installed there, as this is a corner where many students jaywalk in order to get to and from campus and their houses.
It’s not just crossing the street, though. Students need to be careful drivers too. Wednesday nights are particularly hazardous, as students return from the bars and don’t always have a designated driver. If students won’t take responsibility for their own safety—and we hope they do—then we encourage Middletown police to be as proactive as possible in preventing drunk driving accidents on and around campus.
We live on an open campus with major roads traveling through it. With safety changes enacted by Middletown and a more careful community, we can reduce, and maybe eliminate, accidents on our streets.
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