If you haven’t already noticed, speed bumps have been added all over campus. Over the past few months, the University Police Department has slowly added these speed bumps on campus. They are in front of places like the Activity Center, the Chemistry and Natural Science Building and Caldwell Hall.

According to Tom Torregrossa, the UPD chief of police, they added these new “warning strips,” during Christmas break.

Torregrossa said the strips were added because UPD received concerns about the crosswalk last semester on Student to Student at ULM. There were many posts from students complaining about almost getting hit by vehicles while walking across the crosswalks.

Over 6,000 pedestrians died in traffic incidents in 2018, according to NPR.

“The students requested UPD to install a mechanism that would alert the drivers prior to the crosswalks,” Torregrossa said.

Soon, the UPD started researching what other universities and cities were doing for student’s safety. The UPD saw the best option to be the warning strips.

The warning strips are funded through the vehicle use budget. The money for this budget comes from parking permits, fines and other related traffic enforcement. The budget is used for parking lot upgrades, painting the lots and curbs as well as buying signs for the crosswalks.

However, according to Emily Tran, a sophomore marketing major,  said she appreciates the UPD’s efforts but the speed bumps won’t prevent speeding.

“Many drivers still speed over them, unfortunately. I think the larger speed bumps near Starbucks and the Caf are more effective because drivers are forced to slow down,” Tran said.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are a few precautions drivers and pedestrians can use to prevent crosswalk accidents.

For pedestrians, stay alert. Don’t play on your phone until you have safely crossed the road. Also, never assume a driver sees you. Make eye contact with the driver as they approach you to make sure you are seen.

For drivers, always watch for pedestrians because they can pop out of nowhere. Don’t try to avoid speed bumps; they are put there for a reason. Slow down and be prepared to stop when you see a crosswalk.

According to Torregrossa, there are more safety features that the UPD is adding on campus. Solar-powered cross walk signs will soon be on campus to “enhance the safety of the students.”