OUR VIEW: Hey Aggies, watch where your’re going

College life is difficult enough without us having to risk our lives every time we try to cross campus. Yet, that is exactly what is happening.

Every day we see countless “near misses.” A skateboarder nearly runs down a pedestrian outside the ESLC because the one on wheels was texting and wasn’t watching where they were going. And the number of times we’ve seen someone on a bike have to hit the brakes because someone listening to their iPod wasn’t watching where they were going.

Walking across the quad to the Ray B. West building is no longer a pleasant stroll through the prettiest part of campus, it is now a car wreck – figuratively speaking – waiting to happen.

If students don’t get their head up and watch out for their fellow students, we can only imaging the chaos that would ensue. What if that skateboarder actually did run into another student? It would be like a car wreck – again, figuratively speaking – so terrible that you just can’t look away, causing even more accidents in the meantime.

So here are some tips for everyone:

Don’t text unless you are immobile. Walking and texting isn’t so bad, but when it comes to driving, skateboarding or biking, you’re putting other’s lives in jeopardy.

If you are on anything that has wheels – skateboards, scooters, bikes or heelies – stay away from things that need to be held in one or both hands. Cell phones, granola bars and iPods fall in this category.

As much as it gratifies us to see it, don’t read the Statesman on your way to another class. Although you are educating yourself on important campus issues, you are putting yourself and others at risk. And we really don’t want to be responsible for that.