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Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
As I was leaving the University of Maine campus through the back entrance by Bangor Savings Bank on Friday, Jan. 29, I was hit from behind while waiting at the stop sign.
Apparently, the guy who ran into my car was distracted by another vehicle waiting to turn left and, therefore, was not watching directly in front of him. At least that’s what he told me.
Once I felt the impact of the crash, I turned onto Park Street and pulled over onto the shoulder of the road. The car that hit me pulled up and parked.
The driver informed me that he was not a student at UMaine, but rather a New Hampshire resident visiting his girlfriend here. He said he had no car insurance — insurance isn’t mandatory in New Hampshire — and no job.
My head had snapped back on impact in the accident, so I realized whiplash was an issue for me, not to mention the damage to my car. The metal spikes that framed the New Hampshire license plate had punctured my rear bumper.
Since the New Hampshire driver was not calling for help, I located my cell phone in my backpack and dialed 911. The Orono Police Department responded quickly and called an ambulance to assist me.
The following morning, my neck was stiff and painful. I was seen and treated by my family practitioner and scheduled to see him again next week. In addition, my car insurance company estimated the cost of repairs for my car to be $473.
Who will pay for my medical bills and my car repairs if the New Hampshire driver has no insurance?
When I returned to campus the following week, I stopped at the Public Safety office to inform them of the on-campus accident. I also told them another student had seen an accident there the day before my own.
The dispatcher said there is an accident at that back entrance once a week, on average, and that it is up to the state of Maine to decide if there are enough accidents at a given location to justify the installation of a traffic light. Therefore, Public Safety is helpless to do anything about it.
Apparently, all of the police departments in Maine submit their accident reports to the state of Maine, and the state then decides where traffic lights need to be installed for public safety and accident prevention.
As a concerned citizen, I wonder how many accidents it takes before the state of Maine deems it necessary to set up a traffic light at a particular site. It seems to me that one incident per week at the same location is good enough reason.
In the end, I see several issues involved in my traffic accident that need to be addressed: Inattentive drivers who don’t keep their eyes in front of them, a lack of traffic lights in zones that experience repeat traffic accidents, drivers who have no car insurance, and vanity license plate framed by metal spikes.
When drivers don’t carry insurance, they are refusing responsibility for those they might harm, including themselves. Additionally, why would anyone install metal spikes on their bumper that could only cause more damage in the case of a collision?
Virginia Sand is a French and Native American studies graduate student.
