But really, I’ve probably heard “Wow, what did you do?” about 20 times a day since I got injured. As if it weren’t inconvenient enough having to get around campus on crutches, I have to explain to a couple dozen people daily what happened to my knee and suffer the judgmental stares of everyone who isn’t bold enough to ask me.

Of course, by now, I usually know how you’re going to react when I tell you what happened. “What the (insert expletive here)?” you’ll say. That’s to be expected, because really, getting hit by a car is one of the more exciting and somewhat shocking ways to injure yourself.

Then, of course, you’ll want to know what it was like to get hit by a car.

It was somewhat scary — but mostly, it was just a shock. I got hit on my bike, not too hard, but hard enough to cause some serious damage to my knee. I didn’t feel it at first and I didn’t know what to do, so I just told the lady who hit me that I was fine and she should go.

For future reference: If you ever get hit by a car, at least get a phone number from the person driving the car.

And that reaction to the news of my injury is only natural. But it’s what you’ll say after that initial reaction that worries me. Because after you swear in shock and ask me what it was like, you’ll mention that your roommate/best friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/acquaintance/someone on campus also got hit by a car, or knows someone who got hit by a car.

Campus is becoming a dangerous place to be a pedestrian.

Too often, I hear a story or see a police brief in the paper about someone getting hit by a car on campus. Back at home, I think I only ever heard of fewer than a dozen people getting hit by a car in the 18 years I lived there.

And though it might be assumed, it’s not just college students driving drunk either. In fact, it’s not just college students at all.

There are plenty of average East Lansing moms and dads running into pedestrians as well. When it comes down to it — while students might be taking risks by running or biking across crosswalks when they shouldn’t — drivers are responsible for not running into people.

It comes down to common sense and paying attention. We’re in an age of technology. But when someone is driving, talking on the phone and listening to music, while thousands of college students are milling around campus and crossing the streets they’re driving on — it greatly increases the chance that a driver is going to hit someone. Accidents do happen sometimes, no matter what you do, but when there are this many happening, it points to something more than true accidents.

Although pedestrians aren’t technically responsible for an accident, they still should be watching out for their own lives. Trust me, getting hit by a car is not fun. It’s inconvenient to get around campus with any sort of injury, and it is not worth getting across the street 30 seconds sooner.

If you told me you always look both ways before crossing the street and you never cross when the walking sign is a red hand, I would say you’re lying. I’ll admit I’m not a patient person, and I don’t like to wait to cross the street, especially if I’m on my way to class or work. But in reality, taking an extra second to look down the road might have prevented my accident.

Taking extra precautions before crossing the street is especially important at night, when more drunken drivers are out and it’s harder to see people walking or biking. Bikers should invest in bike lights, and walkers should stay in well-lit areas. Really, taking the bus or a cab to travel long distances at night is probably a better idea than walking or biking when it comes to your general safety.

Driving on campus can be a more dangerous situation than the average road, so extra attention and precaution is necessary on the part of both the pedestrians and drivers.

Just be careful, and please, stop asking what happened to my leg.

Gabrielle Moore is a State News staff photographer. Reach her at mooregab@msu.edu.