Walking the streets near the PSU fraternity houses...

[LafayetteBear]

...can be hazardous to your health. A girl who is a close friend of my sons was (along with a companion) hit by a car Thursday night while crossing the street outside one of the PSU fraternity houses. (Think it was immediatelly adjacent to TKE, where a large social was underway.) Both girls are expected to fully recover, but one was apparently "life flighted" from the scene.)

I was back there two weeks ago for Parents' Day, and we took a driving tour of the Greek Houses on Thursday night. Big mistake. Could not believe the number of kids out late, walking the streets in the dark. Moreover, most of them appeared to be under the influence, as it was common to see kids bomb out into the street without looking. I was driving at roughly 5 MPH and still had a couple of close calls. Saw a couple of other drivers busting down the street. Not safe at all. Just thought I would mention it in case anyone here has a kid in school now..

 

[NittPicker]

Sounds like not much has changed since my undergrad days in the 80s.

 

[Sproul]

The 2 girls that were hit were apparently wasted (no surprise). But yes, even during the day students don't look before crossing the road, even when jaywalking, so being drunk would be no different for them.

 

[CF LION]

One of my college buddies lives in State College and does EMT work on the weekends. He's told me lots of interesting stories about some of their calls, most of which are alcohol related. Many times the students who need to go to the hospital refuse, to which he responds "You can either get a ride to the hospital in my ambulance or in the back of a police car, but one way or the other you are going to the hospital".

 

[10 Years After]

The 2 girls that were hit were apparently wasted (no surprise). But yes, even during the day students don't look before crossing the road, even when jaywalking, so being drunk would be no different for them.

Exactly. They are probably in just as much danger during the day when they have their noses buried in their phones while crossing a street.

 

[elvis63]

Booze was always there but add in phones and a seeming increasing cluelessness about their surroundings and you're going to have problems .

 

[bison13]

My uncle was a truck driver who used to deliver to state College regularly. He said he got in an accident one time on College, but not due to drunks, but rather ogling some coeds in bikinis along the road. Always going to be issues in those areas.

 

[manatree]

The 2 girls that were hit were apparently wasted (no surprise). But yes, even during the day students don't look before crossing the road, even when jaywalking, so being drunk would be no different for them.

According to the radio reports, the driver was drunk as well.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

He said he got in an accident one time on College, but not due to drunks, but rather ogling some coeds in bikinis along the road.

A situation that is far more dangerous than booze, and one that has also caused many of us to lift a bottle/can or two.

 

[OldTiredLion]

I live in State College and experience has taught me to drive very slowly and carefully whenever I'm on or near the campus. Not only because of alcohol or drugs but because most of the kids walk around with their eyes focused on cell phones or tablets and their headphone or earbuds blaring loudly enough to drown out any outside noise. I can't believe the administration doesn't focus as much attention on this issue as they do on drug/alcohol abuse, sexual assaults etc...

 

[ChiTownLion]

Spanier spent years fighting this battle. Not sure if he ever made any progress.

 

[cjrugger]

...can be hazardous to your health. A girl who is a close friend of my sons was (along with a companion) hit by a car Thursday night while crossing the street outside one of the PSU fraternity houses. (Think it was immediatelly adjacent to TKE, where a large social was underway.) Both girls are expected to fully recover, but one was apparently "life flighted" from the scene.)

I was back there two weeks ago for Parents' Day, and we took a driving tour of the Greek Houses on Thursday night. Big mistake. Could not believe the number of kids out late, walking the streets in the dark. Moreover, most of them appeared to be under the influence, as it was common to see kids bomb out into the street without looking. I was driving at roughly 5 MPH and still had a couple of close calls. Saw a couple of other drivers busting down the street. Not safe at all. Just thought I would mention it in case anyone here has a kid in school now..

Hold on, you telling me drunk college kids dont look both ways before they cross the street?!?!?

 

[psu1969a]

...can be hazardous to your health. A girl who is a close friend of my sons was (along with a companion) hit by a car Thursday night while crossing the street outside one of the PSU fraternity houses. (Think it was immediatelly adjacent to TKE, where a large social was underway.) Both girls are expected to fully recover, but one was apparently "life flighted" from the scene.)

I was back there two weeks ago for Parents' Day, and we took a driving tour of the Greek Houses on Thursday night. Big mistake. Could not believe the number of kids out late, walking the streets in the dark. Moreover, most of them appeared to be under the influence, as it was common to see kids bomb out into the street without looking. I was driving at roughly 5 MPH and still had a couple of close calls. Saw a couple of other drivers busting down the street. Not safe at all. Just thought I would mention it in case anyone here has a kid in school now..

Damn straight crossing streets can be hazardous to your health, especially for those that ...
do not stop, look, and listen like the 2 that got hit the other night,
wear ear buds and texting while walking,
just don't pay attention (i am entitled),
wear dark clothing.

 

[zwick99]

Drunk pedestrians cause more accidents than drunk drivers.

 

[joeparules]

I might get blasted for this, but I feel students (kids) are lazier now than back in the "good old days". The best part of living in dorms/downtown apartments/fraternities is that you could walk pretty much every where you wanted to go. My daughter lived across Atherton from campus and took the blue/white loops almost every where. I told her I never once took the loop and she was shocked. I would walk from my fraternity (Prospect Ave) to Chambers for 8:00 am class in 15-20 minutes ... no sweat. I also think a lot more kids have cars in college than back in the dark ages!

 

[scpsu76]

I live in State College. The degree of intoxication of most pedestrians after 11 PM is much higher than back in the day. The average patient taken to the hospital is.275 BAC.
Add in the inexperience of international student drivers, cell phones and the general carelessness of 20 year olds and you have a recipe for disaster every night.

 

[Woodpecker]

Always be wary of streetwalkers near the frats, got it.

 

[LafayetteBear]

Add in the inexperience of international student drivers...,

My sons tell me that there are several international (ok, Chinese) students who frequently tool up College and down Beaver in fancy cars. I have been told of two separate Lamborghinis, one light metallic blue and one lime green. LOL...

 

[PhillipintheValley]

My sons tell me that there are several international (ok, Chinese) students who frequently tool up College and down Beaver in fancy cars. I have been told of two separate Lamborghinis, one light metallic blue and one lime green. LOL...

You would not believe the cars that some of these kids drive, and yes, many are Asian. Lambos, McClarens, Landrovers, Benz, BMW, etc. There was a big article on it in the CDT last year.

 

[CavalierLion]

According to the reports, the driver was drunk. There have been drunk pedestrians running around that area of state college since at least the 60's and probably even before that. If it weren't for the drunk driver, there wouldn't have been an accident.

 

[dwiz]

My sons tell me that there are several international (ok, Chinese) students who frequently tool up College and down Beaver in fancy cars. I have been told of two separate Lamborghinis, one light metallic blue and one lime green. LOL...

The metallic blue is an Audi and it's outrageous. It's the Asians in the penn state car club that have all the $$$

 

[elbayl]

I am one of the fortunate few as my son, a Junior in Computer Science, lives in a Dorm (single room, no roommates), doesn't drink and rarely crosses the street/leaves campus.

 

[scpsu76]

According to the reports, the driver was drunk. There have been drunk pedestrians running around that area of state college since at least the 60's and probably even before that. If it weren't for the drunk driver, there wouldn't have been an accident.

You are right. Likewise there have been drunk drivers driving around that area since the 60's. The difference is how drunk everyone is.

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

Our vacation condo over looks Allen Street downtown. It's always interesting to watch people coming and going on the party circuit. Our balcony was jammed Halloween night watching and laughing at the costumes and the drunks. It's a college town, students drink, some are stupid as I'm guessing several were on this list were at times too, including me. At least that's what I was told.

 

[getmyjive11]

My sons tell me that there are several international (ok, Chinese) students who frequently tool up College and down Beaver in fancy cars. I have been told of two separate Lamborghinis, one light metallic blue and one lime green. LOL...

Just hang around the business building on any school day and you will see a kid here and there with a $100k vehicle.

 

[PSU77sh]

My kids have both commented about the number of Lamborghini's driven by Asian students. There are more than the 2 mentioned above!

 

[PSU_Nut]

College students everywhere don't know how to cross the street. Here in Carlisle they actually have crossing guards for the Dickibsin college students. How pathetic is that? Why do adults need a crossing guard?

 

[71camaro]

The metallic blue is an Audi and it's outrageous. It's the Asians in the penn state car club that have all the $$$

I've hung out with the car club a bit. None of the rich international students will have anything to do with them. The cars are status symbols for the international students, they aren't car enthusiasts who will shoot the breeze with other car guys.

 

[71camaro]

My kids have both commented about the number of Lamborghini's driven by Asian students. There are more than the 2 mentioned above!

There's like seven Maseratis, only two Lambos that I have seen, a couple Ferraris that I see often, and a McLaren ($1.7 million when new).

That leaves out the Porsches, Audis, Astons, and Bentleys.

 

[LafayetteBear]

The metallic blue is an Audi and it's outrageous. It's the Asians in the penn state car club that have all the $$$

Yeah, you're right. I had that messed up. My sons did tell me it was an Audi. Like an S8 or R8. Whatever the really high performance one is.

 

[manatree]

You would not believe the cars that some of these kids drive, and yes, many are Asian. Lambos, McClarens, Landrovers, Benz, BMW, etc. There was a big article on it in the CDT last year.

I think this is the CDT piece you mentioned. I would still say it is a very small subset of the Chinese students just like it is a small subset of any other student group. Some are going to be richer than others. Chalk it up to perception bias. The few high end cars you see are what sticks in your mind, not the countless student beaters out there. However, it is interesting to check out the parking lots at some of the more expensive student housing complexes like the Grove or the Heights.

On a side note, I think the blue Audi that has been mentioned is ugly. While the blue, mirrored finish is unique, it looks like a bottle of Windex.

 

[mmp121]

Kinda related, but only tangentially...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/americas/canada-vancouver-chinese-immigrant-wealth.html

The anger has had little effect on the gilded lives of Vancouver’s wealthy Chinese. Indeed, to the newcomers for whom money is no object, the next purchase after a house is usually a car, and then a few more.

A large number of luxury car dealerships here employ Chinese staff, a testament to the spending power of the city’s newest residents. In 2015, there were 2,500 cars worth more than $150,000 registered in metropolitan Vancouver, up from 1,300 in 2009, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

Many of Vancouver’s young supercar owners are known as fuerdai, a Mandarin expression, akin to trust-fund kids, that means “rich second generation.” In China, where the superrich are widely criticized as being corrupt and materialistic, the term provokes a mix of scorn and envy.

The fuerdai have brought their passion for extravagance to Vancouver. White Lamborghinis are popular among young Chinese women; the men often turn in their leased supercars after a few months for a newer, cooler status symbol.

Hundreds of young Chinese immigrants, along with a handful of Canadian-born Chinese, have started supercar clubs whose members come together to drive, modify and photograph their flashy vehicles, providing alluring eye candy for their followers on social media.

The Vancouver Dynamic Auto Club has 440 members, 90 percent of whom are from China, said the group’s 27-year-old founder, David Dai. To join, a member must have a car that costs over 100,000 Canadian dollars, or about $77,000. “They don’t work,” Mr. Dai said of Vancouver’s fuerdai. “They just spend their parents’ money.”

Occasionally, the need for speed hits a roadblock. In 2011, the police impounded a squadron of 13 Lamborghinis, Maseratis and other luxury cars, worth $2 million, for racing on a metropolitan Vancouver highway at 125 miles per hour. The drivers were members of a Chinese supercar club, and none were older than 21, according to news reports at the time.​

 

[LionFan87b]

Occasionally, the need for speed hits a roadblock. In 2011, the police impounded a squadron of 13 Lamborghinis, Maseratis and other luxury cars, worth $2 million, for racing on a metropolitan Vancouver highway at 125 miles per hour.​

There should be a mandatory prison sentence for anyone driving over 100 MPH. There is absolutely no excuse for it, and it kills people.

 

[CF LION]

So where does one get their McLaren serviced in State College?

 

[LionFan87b]

So where does one get their McLaren serviced in State College?

When you have that kind of money, the mechanics come to you.

 

[fairgambit]

There should be a mandatory prison sentence for anyone driving over 100 MPH. There is absolutely no excuse for it, and it kills people.

More people are killed by distracted drivers texting. According to statistics, there are 11 teen deaths every day from texting while driving, as well as 1,660,000 accidents and 330,000 injuries yearly. I would favor a mandatory prison sentence for that (seriously).

 

[scpsu76]

So where does one get their McLaren serviced in State College?

At Mclarenhan's, of course.

 

[psuro]

And to think that I thought I was "it" in my 1978 Camaro LT, during my college days in the mid 1980s.

 

[ericstratton-rushchairman]

At Mclarenhan's, of course.

So I am sitting in a Starbucks getting work done with headphones (listening to REM) and I read your post and laughed to loud everyone in the store stopped to look at me... had no idea how loud I was.

Personally I love it when rich foreign kids/people spend discretionary income in U.S. Helps bolster our economy.

 

[manatree]

Personally I love it when rich foreign kids/people spend discretionary income in U.S. Helps bolster our economy.

Personally, I'd rather they donate their discretionary income to the Save the Manatree Foundation.