Jeremy Brunner
During my time here at BYU I have risked life and limb while valiantly trying to make it to class on time. I have grown very accustomed to running out between cars and hoping they don't hit me. You might think that I am a rebel with a death wish, but the truth is more appalling: I risk my life crossing at crosswalks.
To get to class, I must cross 900 East near Deseret Towers. There is a crosswalk there, and occasionally there are flashing yellow lights warning cars of pedestrians. Ninety-eight percent of the time cars refuse to yield the right of way to pedestrians. If I don't wait for a gap in traffic and run across, I sometimes end up stranded in the middle of the street with cars speeding past on both sides. The crosswalk was put there to protect pedestrians, but since most cars don't stop, it seems to be more of a trick to lure pedestrians into thinking it is safe to cross.
Just last week, while I was crossing at the crosswalk, a driver, instead of stopping to let me cross, yelled at me out the window as he sped by, not five feet from my body. I commend those few drivers who have the courtesy to yield the right of way to us pedestrians. The truth of it is that I have grown so accustomed to running across the street when I see that it is clear that I don't see the point of walking the extra 150 feet to cross at the crosswalk. I feel that it is just as safe to jaywalk as cross at the sidewalk because the cars don't stop regardless of whether or not you are obeying traffic laws.