By Raeanne Raccagno
Staff Writer
Campus Police gave a presentation on road safety in the Student Government general body meeting on Nov. 20, discussing crash-prone areas at the College, how to maneuver traffic and how to be a responsible driver.
Andrew Iannaccone (‘23), a Campus Police officer who participated in Student Government while studying at the College, gave the road safety presentation to educate and motivate the general body.
“I hope the knowledge I give you today will help empower you and help you navigate whenever you get into a crash, when you get pulled over and what to do if you're in a traffic jam,” Iannaccone said.
According to Iannaccone, the main entrances, parking garages and blind spot turn near Lot 13 are accident-prone areas on campus. He showed security footage clips of collisions in these spots and told students how to handle the situation.
One video showed how a driver involved in an impact forgot to put their car in park after exiting, causing the vehicle to roll down the road and police officers having to run after it to prevent further damage. The officer said your adrenaline will be high before and after an accident so it can be hard to think clearly, putting you in a “fight or flight mode.”
He also suggested driving your car, if it’s still driveable, to the shoulder or side of the road as much as possible to keep you and other drivers safe. If your car becomes disabled in the middle of the road, put your hazards on, leave your vehicle completely and stay on the side of the road until help arrives.
If students are ever involved in a traumatic crash, Iannaccone informed the group that campus resources like counseling are available.
To help avoid future collisions, the College has implemented more light-up crosswalk signs, purchased more traffic cones and began using a digital road sign advertising where to park on event days.
When in a crash in New Jersey, the drivers involved must fill out the New Jersey Traffic Report-1 and Self Report-21 form.
The NJTR-1 form details how the crash happened, the contributing factors and what is told to police. The SR-21 form is for when you do not report a crash right away, or if a driver did not notice damages from a collision. The reporting driver would then need to fill out the form within ten days of the accident and hand it in.
At the end of the presentation, Iannaccone showed a video made by the New Jersey State Police. The clip talked about the negative aftereffects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on road safety due to reduced levels of traffic enforcement.
According to the video, New Jersey had almost an all-time low of 558 traffic deaths in 2019, but the number of crashes has been increasing since the pandemic. 2020-2021 was the largest year-to-year increase in the state in more than 50 years and the most deaths on record in 15 years, according to the video.
The video called for the state to take action and change together by taking the necessary steps to stay safe and help prevent more road tragedies from happening.
Iannaccone also mentioned the signs around campus that refer to SAMI’s law, which stands for “stop, ask, match and inform” The law requires rideshare companies to display light-up signs and confirm that they are the requested party’s driver.
SAMI’s law is named after Samantha Josephson, a college student who was abducted and killed by someone impersonating an Uber driver in 2019. The same year, New Jersey became the first state to enact such legislation, and the federal government followed suit in 2023.
The presentation also touched on some recent state traffic law updates like the Safe Passing Law, which requires drivers to give vulnerable road users at least four feet of space, or if the road cannot accommodate that, to go at a speed slow enough to easily stop in case a pedestrian crosses in front of your vehicle.
Similar to the Safe Passing Law is the Stop and Stay Stopped law, which mandates drivers to wait for pedestrians to be completely off the road before driving again. To prevent impaired visibility from random snow, the state also executed the Ice and Snow - Remove It Before You Go law, which requires drivers to remove snow from the roof, sides and mirror of a car before driving.
Throughout his presentation, Iannaccone also gave various driving tips like always having an alternate route to your destination in case of road closures, “knowing your limits” when it comes to driving and staying undistracted. He also recommended having supplies in case of emergencies, like a jump starter, flat tire kit, ice scraper, flashlight, warm clothes, water and food.
He told the general body that Campus Police can assist with certain car troubles using its jump starter and lockout kit.
Iannaccone encouraged all members of the Student Government to capitalize on their position within the school to help promote road safety.
“You're all the local leaders at the student body and you could affect really great change here,” Iannaccone said.
