Amy Hayward, a sophomore psychologymajor at the U, was driving home fromschool late at night when she literally raninto a problem.Hayward said she was tired and notpaying attention in her car when she rearendedthe car in front of her on the cornerof 500 South and 1300 East.”There were no physical distractions,my mind was just not really thinking,”Hayward said. “It was just kind of late andI was tired. I just wasn’t really paying attentionto what I was doing.”According to the U campus police statisticsfrom June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2005,Hayward’s case is not a rare occurrence.The leading contributor to traffic acci-dents on campus was improperlookout, which includes outsidedistractions like cell phones andnot paying attention.Following cars too closely andunsafe or improper backing upwere the next two leading causesfor accidents on campus.Although Hayward’s accidenthappened late at night, it is morecommon for accidents to occurmidday, from noon to 3 p.m.The most common months foraccidents last year were Septemberand November, according tothe campus police statistics.Even though Hayward’s accidentoccurred in the street, mostaccidents on the U campus occurredin campus parking lots-about 164 in the past year.”I almost got ran over in theparking lot a couple times,” saidCathy Le, a marketing and fi -nance major. “No one looks outfor pedestrians.”Sgt. Kent Curtis of campuspolice believes many studentsget into accidents because theydo not allow themselves enoughtime to get places, which leadsto speeding, bypassing signs andother unsafe ways of attemptingto hurry.”I think nowadays a lot ofpeople are self-absorbed in whatthey’re doing when they need toget places,” Curtis said.According to the Utah Departmentof Transportation, thenumber of automobile accidentsinvolving 18- to 25-year-old driversfrom 2001 to 2003 has decreased.However, Curtis saidtraffi c accidents are still the No.1 cause of death of people ages 16to 25 in the United States.Although there have not beenany fatal accidents or serious injurieson campus this past year,campus police still encouragestudents to be safe.The Utah Safety Council iscurrently offering a four-hourdefensive driving course for individualsin the Salt Lake Cityarea.The four-hour course willcover accident prevention, drivingconfi dence, awareness ofhazards and improving drivingskills. Courses are held throughoutthe month at the Cedar ParkComplex in Murray, and driversmay complete the course for a50-point reduction from theirUtah driving record.”I think a refresh of basiclaws and basic rules of the roadwould be helpful for anybody,”Hayward said. “The last timethat any of us college studentswere in a driving class, we were15 years old.”For more information contactthe Utah Safety Council at 262-5400 or visit [email protected]