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Philadelphia is home to its fair share of colleges. With a new school year in full swing, many students across the city’s campuses will be spending their weekends partying and enjoying the college lifestyle.
They must exercise caution when doing so. If you’re a college student, while you can participate in social activities responsibly, you must consider that overindulging in alcohol or engaging in other such behaviors can put you in harm’s way.
You might already know this. Perhaps you’re a mature student who takes steps to avoid injuring yourself or others when partying on or around campus. However, it’s always worth brushing up on a few overlooked college safety tips that aren’t always emphasized as much as they should be.
Tips to stay safe at college parties include the following:
Most people know that driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is very unsafe. Schools, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and various other entities devote considerable resources every year to teaching young people about the dangers of drunk driving.
As they should. Getting behind the wheel after drinking can result in serious injury or death. However, because young people are so constantly exposed to messages about the importance of not driving while intoxicated, they often don’t realize that walking while drunk is also unsafe. Some studies even indicate that walking while drunk increases one’s chances of being seriously injured to a greater degree than driving drunk.
This isn’t meant to suggest that a student should drive back to campus from a bar or party because walking might be slightly more dangerous. Instead, it’s meant to highlight the importance of calling a cab, scheduling an Uber/Lyft, or taking other responsible steps to safely get back to your dorm or apartment when you’ve been drinking.
Today’s young college students have grown up with access to mobile devices. As such, they may be accustomed to walking around with their eyes fixed on their phones.
This is unsafe. There are many potential hazards on or near a college campus that could result in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident if a student isn’t paying attention to their surroundings. Whether you’re walking to class in broad daylight or you’re walking to a party at night, be aware that a seemingly “safe” environment is still one where a serious accident can occur if you’re staring at your phone.
Although some college dorms schedule fire drills to ensure residents practice fire safety procedures, often, fire drills stop after high school. That doesn’t mean they serve no purpose.
While it might feel strange to do, if you live in a dorm that doesn’t have random fire drills, consider setting alarms on your phone for certain times to practice getting out of your dorm in the event of fire anyway. Being prepared to efficiently remove yourself from the building if a fire does break out could save your life one day.
That said, even if a student is smart and follows advice like this, they may still be involved in an accident on a college campus through no fault of their own. Such accidents sometimes occur because those whose job it is to maintain a safe campus that’s free from hazards fail to do so.
Have you been involved in a college campus accident that you believe resulted from someone else’s negligence? If so, you may be eligible to recover compensation for your medical bills and related losses. A Philadelphia premises liability attorney at Solomon, Sherman & Gabay can review your case and discuss your legal options in greater detail. Learn more by contacting us online or calling us at 215-665-1100 today.