By: Spectator Staff 

Crosswalk safety is a main concern among students at VSU. Our campus heavily relies on crosswalks so students can get from one side of a busy street. However, many drivers don’t proceed with caution when driving through these crosswalk areas. 

 There are many areas on campus that have crosswalks which include. The Mass Media Communication Arts and, Fine Arts Building Patterson, Oak Street, and Georgia Ave.  Lately, students have been getting injured in crosswalks areas that were originally designed to keep students when walking from one side of the street to the other.  

 Most drivers tend to ignore or don’t understand crosswalk rules and regulations of the crosswalk put into place to keep students safe when crossing through an intersection. Afterall crosswalks are a section within the road where students have the right of way to cross the street. 

 Drivers can turn right on red when clear, but if students are walking then they need to abide by the right of which the pedestrian favor. So, they have to wait until the crosswalk is clear for them to go. 

 According to Valdosta State’s and Valdosta’s Police Department records dating back to 2010 until now, there have been about five incidents where people were hit, or nearly hit at crosswalk intersections around campus. 

 The first one, dating back to 2014, involved a student named Elizabethe Lizze Lohmar who was killed while using the North Patterson Street crosswalk on Feb 5.  At the time Lohmar was a senior getting ready to graduate when she was killed by a Chevrolet, Silverado.  

 Lizzy’s death is a reminder to procced with caution when using a crosswalk if pedestrians have the right of way.  

 Another incident occurred on April 30, 2015, when a student was struck while walking through the Baytree and Sustella crosswalk by an oncoming student driver.   

 The three remaining reports describe that one or two students and a non-student were struck by on-coming vehicles within the Brookwood and Toombs crosswalk area. 

 Also, most recently on Nov 3, 2025, around 5:30pm a student was struck by a black dodge challenger at the Mass media and Comm Arts crosswalk. That makes this the sixth crosswalk incident to have occurred at VSU as documented.  

 Most students don’t have cars and rely heavily on crosswalks to get to and from their classes. However, the fear of getting hit by a car shouldn’t be on a student’s mind when walking to class. 

 VSU should implement some speed bumps around the crosswalk forcing cars to slow down before proceeding to the intersection. Also, tickets should be given to drivers who abuse the crosswalk for their own advantage instead of being used for cars parked in staff areas.  

  VSU should implement speed limits near crosswalks to make sure that drivers reach an appropriate speed that’s safe for the driver and the pedestrian. 

 Crosswalk safety should be a main priority to VSU. As students attending in-person classes on campus has increased since the beginning of this semester. 

 We should feel safe every day knowing that we are going to get to class safely.