There are a lot of bad drivers around USC and in order to keep everyone safe it is important that students follow rules and traffic laws and pay attention to signs in order to avoid getting into accidents.
One of the factors that contribute to the harsh driving around USC are the number of inexperienced student drivers that break driving laws and make dangerous turns.
"College students that drive, they have no respect for the driving laws, buses or anything," Charles Moultrie, a shuttle driver for Oaks 21, said. “They'll be in the far right lane (and) want to make a left turn. They'll come from three or four lanes just to make a left turn.”
There are a number of unsafe driving practices that are being done around the campus, such as failing to signal, making sudden stops and trying to unsafely merge into lanes. This makes it challenging for other drivers to drive safely and can cause potential reckless accidents.
The amount of foot traffic around USC also tends to make things difficult for drivers to travel safely around campus.
“The students crossing on the green light and making us drivers stop instantly,” Ochiquita Byrd, a shuttle driver for Cayce Cove, said. "Instead of them crossing on a red light, they think because they're pedestrians they have the right away, but they really should pay attention to the traffic lights before they step out in the middle of the street.”
In intersections, especially near Darla Moore, students walk on the streets without any regard to the crosswalk lights. Sometimes students are texting or talking on the phone and get distracted and keep walking without paying attention. This creates unnecessary stress for drivers because it increases the time it takes for them to travel around campus.
“Students, for instance, they be on their phone texting and not paying attention,” Byrd said. “And the other drivers, the same thing. They'd be on the phones, they're not paying attention, they cutting people off — it's just crazy drivers.”
When a person is trying to text someone, change the music or look at the directions on google maps, their attention is diverted, creating a potential for accidents. Technology use should be limited when one is in the driver's seat in order to practice safe driving habits.
However, the drivers and pedestrians are not the only problems. The road conditions around USC also play a large role in the number of bad drivers.
“I think it's challenging,” Jeremy Cogdill, a shuttle driver for The Retreat, said. “There's all kinds of damaged roads. We got potholes. We got roads that turn into cobble roads for no reason, missing bricks and stuff.”
These potholes and damages cause drivers to break in the middle of the road which could cause an accident with surrounding drivers. Because of the damages to the roads, drivers cannot get smoothly around campus.
A lot of the rash driving around USC is from neglectful driving, inattentive pedestrians and poor road conditions. Students should be more aware and alert when driving on the road and pedestrians should follow crosswalk rules promptly to prevent any dangerous accidents that could occur.