Skateboarders traveling on roadways have the duties of drivers of vehicles. When traveling on sidewalks, skateboarders have the general rights and duties of pedestrians. It is the responsibility of public safety officials to maintain a safe campus environment through enforcement of those provisions. Where breaches in safe operation of skateboards arise, public safety personnel may refer a student to the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices and a student may be charged with a violation of the Dangerous Practices policy.
Helpful Skateboarding Safety Tips:
1. Use of a helmet and other safety equipment is strongly recommended.
2. Skateboarders should ride as predictably as possible and at a speed where they are able to avoid hazards and stop when necessary.
3. Avoid areas where there is heavy pedestrian traffic and/or speed is hard to control.
4. Skateboarders should not attach themselves to any other vehicle on the roadway.
5. No skateboard should be used to carry more persons at one time than the number of persons for which it was designed or equipped.
6. Try to use bike lanes or keep as near as safely possible to the far right side or edge of the right traffic lane so that they will be proceeding in the same direction as other traffic. When riding in these areas, skateboarders have all the rights and duties of a vehicle under the same circumstances.
Accidents:
Bicyclists, motorists, skateboarders, or pedestrians must stop when involved in an accident and make a report. Report accidents involving death, injury or property damage to university police. All persons involved in the accident must give their names and addresses to the police and to any person involved in the accident or the property owner. If unattended property is damaged, the bicyclist must make a reasonable effort to find the owner and give his/her name to the owner. If the owner cannot be located, leave a note in a conspicuous place at the accident site and report the accident to the police within 24 hours.
For more information on skateboarding policies at JMU, click here.
