Allison Wiederin, a junior corporate communication major, was walking east on Lucinda Avenue around midnight Oct. 17.

She looked across the street and saw a boy running across. Suddenly, a car sped through the intersection and struck him, traveling at full speed. The car, a silver Volkswagon hatchback did not stop or slow down. The boy picked himself up and walked away.

Weiderin was shaken by what she saw.

“The car hit the boy’s right side and it sounded like the crack you get when you hit a baseball,” she said. “I don’t know how the car could just drive away. It was probably the kid’s stupidity – he had a ‘Don’t Walk’ signal. But how can you not stop? When he hit the windshield it made the worst noise ever. He was really lucky to walk away.”

This incident is just one story leading authorities to question the safety of the intersection at Annie Glidden Road and Lucinda Avenue.

Violations abound at crossing

University Police recently performed traffic surveys and found over 70 percent of pedestrians and vehicles commit violations at that and various other intersections around campus.

“Over the next two weeks, we will have increased patrol on those areas,” said UP Lt. Matt Keiderlen.

In past years, there was a crossing guard at that intersection at all times. Keiderlen said the police department tries to station a crossing guard as frequently as possible, but it is not feasible to have one there all the time anymore.

“There are balance issues of manpower and call volume when it comes to positioning officers,” Keiderlen said. “We try to attack the issues as we come upon them.”

New signals not likely

Another concern is crossing signals. At the intersection of Stadium Drive and Annie Glidden Road, the crossing signals installed in 2004 come equipped with timers to notify pedestrians how long they have before the “Don’t Walk” signal comes on.

The reason the intersection at Annie Glidden and Lucinda is not equipped with timers is because the crossing signals currently installed are still in good working order, said Joel Maurer, DeKalb city engineer with the department of public works. Replacing the signals with timers would cost around $25,000. Maurer said he has received no complaints about the signals at the intersection.

According to the Illinois Compiled Statutes, while pedestrians are expected to obey the traffic control devices, all drivers must exercise due care when approaching intersections and are responsible for avoiding collisions with pedestrians. This means that, in the event of a pedestrian and vehicle collision, the driver is normally considered at fault.

The penalty for an accident of that nature would be a traffic citation, including a $75 fine, plus court costs that can amount to roughly $55. Additional violations, such as DUI or speed limit violations, can increase the fine.