While I was walking down Annie Glidden Road a couple days ago, I counted 13 people jaywalking.

There were cars coming, yet pedestrians were completely disregarding the fact that giant heaps of metal, rubber and glass were hurtling toward them at 35 mph. They just kept walking slowly across the street, texting, talking on the phone or listening to MP3 players.

After talking to some friends, I understand it isn’t a big deal to jaywalk. But when people are at an intersection, they cross halfway and wait in the middle of the street as the traffic goes by. This happens even when the orange hand says “Do not cross.”

Being so close to Chicago, it’s easy to see why pedestrians act as if they have the right of away. It’s practically a rule to jaywalk to get around the city, but this is DeKalb. We aren’t invincible and you can get seriously injured by jaywalking.

According to the National Safety Council, 5,900 pedestrians are killed by cars every year and 84,000 suffer non-fatal injuries.

“Pedestrians who are jaywalking and are hit by a vehicle, regardless of their injuries, are, in some instances, at partial or complete fault,” according to an article by the Takoma Park Police of Maryland. “It is so important to use crosswalks and always follow the direction of the crosswalk lights. Special attention should also be paid to vehicles, as they may not always follow the rules of the road. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety – it’s called personal responsibility.”

It’s right. Everyone is responsible for their own safety. Situational awareness is key to not dying in this day of age. I’m not saying we’re living in a savage world. However, without seeing the world around you, you’ll be lost in a false reality.

I’ve heard the argument that pedestrians have the right of away, but according to the Illinois Vehicle Code, Rules of the Road, “Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway.”

In other words, you only have the right of away when crossing on a crosswalk when the signal says it is safe to cross.

I understand it takes more time to wait instead of jaywalking, and people are typically in a hurry, but waiting those extra seconds could add a few more years to your life.