Dear campus community member,

Everyone here at the University of Illinois Police Department is excited to have our students back on campus. As the semester begins, this high volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic creates more opportunities for accidents and injuries. We take this threat seriously, and our officers will be particularly watchful during the next few weeks for violations of traffic laws. Our goal is to educate, not just to write tickets. We want our campus community to share the road safely.

These are among some of the points we will be working to clarify as officers conduct these educational patrols:

• Pedestrians do not always have the right of way at crosswalks. You must give oncoming traffic enough time to slow down and yield before entering a crosswalk. Use caution even after you have safely entered the crosswalk, as drivers may not always see you. Make eye contact with drivers, and do not walk distracted.
• Motorists should slow down and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to bicyclists in the roadway. Remember that bicyclists are entitled to use any lane, even if there is a designated bike lane. Treat them like you would any other vehicle. Also, driving while using a cellphone is illegal in Illinois and extremely dangerous, especially in areas with a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
• Bicyclists in the roadway are subject to all laws which apply to vehicles, and bicyclists on the sidewalk are subject to all pedestrian laws. Be predictable – failure to obey stop signs or red lights is illegal, creates dangerous hazards and puts you at risk for serious injury.

No matter what form of transportation you choose, we all have a responsibility to avoid accidents by slowing down, sharing the road and, most importantly, being respectful to all other roadway users. Remember that not everyone may know the rules, so be alert at all times.

You can visit police.illinois.edu/safety for more tips regarding personal safety and the services we provide. As always, thank you for being an active participant in the safety of our entire campus community, and good luck this semester. We will be here if you need us.

Sincerely,

Craig A. Stone

Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety