In Lafayette, UL students and police hope the Friday morning LSU crash makes drivers and pedestrians more cautious near campus.
“Knock on wood we haven’t had one of those type of incidents but its something that could happen anywhere at anytime,” says UL Police Sgt. Billy Abrams.
Although senses are heightened right now UL Police say they work to maintain a vigilant campus at all times.
“We try to show additional visibility. We have a motorcycle officer and his job is to ride around at these crosswalks and these intersections to show presence and to make sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do,” says Abrams.
Students feel their presence too, saying they’re making better decisions because they know police are watching.
“They’re always around campus,” says Kristi Simon, who works on campus.
“You want to be more cautious when you’re around them, so you don’t want to mess up or do anything wrong because they will give you a ticket,” says student Timera Ladner.
Sgt. Billy Abrams says it’s a group effort and that pedestrians must do their part to prevent crashes.
“The number one distraction is the cell phone. Through orientation, and different information we try to get out to the community, we always encourage students to be diligent when they’re traveling and walking, make sure they’re familiar with their surroundings, not have the zombie effect where they’re texting and walking,” says Abrams.
