Drivers and pedestrians should take responsibility
Having been a student and driver in and around West Virginia University, this incident is not the first and most certainly will not be the last as long as pedestrians and motorists alike continue being distracted by phones, iPods, etc.
At crosswalks, pedestrians have the right of way. But stop and think for a moment.
Which is easier to stop: about 200 pounds of flesh moving 3 mph to 5 mph or more than 5,000 pounds of steel moving at about 20 mph?
At the Towers PRT crosswalk, pedestrians are notorious for not even looking to see if any traffic is coming and with whatever electronic device is distracting them, I don't even think most are aware they are at the crosswalk.
I'm sure everyone was taught to "look both ways before crossing the street."
Just because a sign may say yield doesn't mean it will be adhered to.
Drivers need to be more attentive and also look at what surrounds the road and not just the road itself; but pedestrians also need to stop and look before walking across the street.
This is coming from experience. If you, as a pedestrian, are standing at a crosswalk such as the one at the Towers PRT, 90 percent of the time a driver will stop and wait for you to cross.
Pedestrians, turn off the iPod, put down the cell phone and pay attention to where you are walking.
You are college students, not 5 year olds. Act like it, because in the game of person vs. vehicle, the vehicle is always going to win.
Dustin Whitt
Morgantown resident
is a member of the 
4 comments
There are cross-walk traffic signs at the coliseum, which means you only have the right away when the signs tell you to cross, at which time automobile traffic has a red light.