{"id":136501,"date":"2026-01-29T17:20:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/136501\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T17:20:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T17:20:12","slug":"usf-police-urge-students-to-follow-traffic-laws-after-campus-incidents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/136501\/","title":{"rendered":"USF police urge students to follow traffic laws after campus incidents"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>University Police Lieutenant Gregory Vickers said using designated areas and avoiding walking or driving while distracted are crucial for campus safety. ORACLE PHOTO\/ALEXIS KERNAN<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s University Police is urging students to follow traffic laws and do their part to keep others on campus safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UP Lieutenant Gregory Vickers said the request is coming after 12 incidents were reported at USF Tampa in fall 2025 involving pedestrians, scooters and bikes colliding with vehicles.<\/p>\n

UP\u2019s jurisdiction covers the USF Tampa campus and university-owned land, including The Claw<\/a> and the Riverfront Park<\/a>, according to UP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vickers said UP relies on the USF community to identify concerns and areas for pedestrian safety improvement \u2014 and is working to identify \u201cproblem areas\u201d around campus.<\/p>\n

And though Vickers said roads and intersections on or near USF are not \u201chigh-risk,\u201d he said the most vehicle damage often occurs at Leroy Collins Boulevard or Alumni Drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur priority is always the safety of our community, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries,\u201d Vickers said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vickers and some USF students said pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility between law enforcement and community members.<\/p>\n

Related: USF police says Library\u2019s active shooter threat \u2018appears\u2019 to be hoax<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vickers said UP regularly patrols USF to deter unsafe driving and identify potential hazards on or around campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, he said students should follow traffic laws and avoid \u201crisky\u201d behavior, including walking outside designated crosswalks or while distracted.<\/p>\n

Whether a person is a driver or a pedestrian, they should slow down when approaching crosswalks and stay alert at all times, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile pedestrians often have the right of way, safety ultimately depends on awareness and smart decision making,\u201d Vickers said. \u201cSlower speeds and heightened awareness help ensure the safety of everyone using campus roads.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ava Rispler, a senior marketing major, said she has mixed feelings about pedestrian safety precautions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: USF annual safety report shows surge in stalking, scooter theft<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rispler said she has used UP\u2019s SAFE Team service to travel around campus late at night \u2014 a time when she feels unsafe walking.<\/p>\n

The SAFE Team<\/a> patrols campus and offers free rides to students from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its webpage.<\/p>\n

Still, Rispler said long wait times for rides have led her to avoid the service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll take 20 minutes to come when in reality I need the ride sooner,\u201d Rispler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rispler said she has noticed cars speed past crosswalks without stopping whenever she walks from the resident parking lots back to her dorm in Horizon Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to stay [alert] by making sure to stay aware of my surroundings, like not having my headphones in or playing so loud so I know what is happening around me,\u201d Rispler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rispler said UP could issue more tickets to drivers who don\u2019t stop for pedestrians and who speed past crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety.<\/p>\n

UP spokesperson Larry McKinnon said the department issued 1,614 uniform traffic citations<\/a> \u2014 which includes speeding, reckless driving and failure to yield to road signs \u2014 during the 2024-25 academic year.<\/p>\n

Related: Meet the \u2018Star\u2019 of USF Police<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nia Crawford, a junior business major, said she walks around campus because she doesn\u2019t have a car \u2014 and has therefore noticed that pedestrian safety needs improvement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crawford said she and her classmates have seen reckless drivers speed past crosswalks or fail to stop to check for pedestrians on busy roads, such as Leroy Collins Boulevard or Genshaft Drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t always feel safe when walking around campus [because] people can be a bit reckless or just not pay attention at all,\u201d Crawford said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, Crawford said pedestrian safety is a responsibility of anyone driving or walking on the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI see people all the time who are walking across the streets on their phones or listening to music, and it honestly puts all of us in danger,\u201d Crawford said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Crawford said she believes sidewalk, crosswalk or roadway improvements \u2014 alongside increased UP presence \u2014 could keep people more alert and safe on campus.<\/p>\n

Vickers said infrastructure changes \u2014 such as crosswalk improvements, more lighting or road redesigns \u2014 aren\u2019t overseen by UP, but by other university departments.<\/p>\n

He said the USF community should remain aware of their surroundings and exercise caution to stay safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage all community members to follow traffic laws and travel responsibly,\u201d Vickers said. \u201cPlanning your route, avoiding distractions and making yourself visible at all times are key components of staying safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"University Police Lieutenant Gregory Vickers said using designated areas and avoiding walking or driving while distracted are crucial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136502,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-136501","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-tampa","9":"tag-tampa-headlines","10":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}