Students who do not obey traffic signals at on-campus crosswalks can be ticketed.

The NIU police have been taking measures to protect students at crosswalks and prevent accidents. They have been keeping watch of crosswalks, like those located at Annie Glidden Road and Lucinda Avenue, during heavy traffic times to ensure pedestrians obey traffic signals.

NIU Police Sgt. Alan Smith said students need to understand obeying traffic lights keep them safe.

“I get students that say if they get hit they will sue, but they can’t sue if they’re dead,” Smith said. “A 2,000 pound car will win against a person every time.”

NIU police officers also have the ability to issue $120 state citations to pedestrians who don’t obey crosswalk signs. The citations are issued for disobeying a traffic safety control device. Not obeying crosswalk signs is a similar offense to running a red light, Smith said. The tickets issued for the offense can remain on a person’s record for four to five years, according to www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

NIU police officers can issue citations for not obeying crosswalk signs at their discretion. The NIU police do not receive any money for the tickets but DeKalb County does. NIU police do not have a quota to meet regarding crosswalk tickets, he said.

“If pedestrians took more responsibility, the officers wouldn’t have to be there,” Smith said. “Since the police are aware of the problem, we need to address it.”

Four years ago, the NIU Police Department had officers posted at crosswalks and had them give verbal warnings. Smith said the department did this because students had a false sense of security and thought motorists would yield before a crosswalk, Smith said. There is no guarantee motorists will yield to a pedestrian or stop if they hit a pedestrian, he said.

“It’s a basic thing we teach kids growing up, but when they go to college it just goes out of their heads,” Smith said.

Some students don’t agree with the actions the NIU police are taking with the crosswalks. Clairese Hollis, freshman business administration major, said she doesn’t think students should be ticketed because it is a student’s fault if he or she is hit. The police officers are taking things too far, she said.

“A $10 ticket would easily get the point across,” Hollis said.

Matthew Brown, freshman computer science major, said he agrees the cost is too high.

“It’s ridiculous because people are smart enough to know when there’s enough space for them to walk,” Brown said.

Brown said he agrees with the police that students should be aware of crosswalk dangers. He said he thinks if the rules were posted near crosswalks and if there was a program which laid out the rules, it would benefit students.