It was early in the morning when Cheryl Smith arrived on the HFC campus. She pulled into the parking lot, hoping to find a space close to her class. There was a loud screech and then Smith was hit by a silver car pulling out of a space. The driver had hit the car next to it, and while trying to flee, smashed into the front of Smith’s car. She was able to get the license plate number before the driver took off and then immediately drove to the police station to file a report. “This incident made me feel unsafe,” said Smith. The total damage to her car was $2,500.

While frustrating to those involved, vehicle incidents at HFC seem to be on a downward trend. 82 incidents were reported in 2013. In 2015, that number went down to 58, a decrease of nearly 30 percent. However, in cases like what happened to Smith, accidents which are not reported to Campus Safety are not accounted for.

“On average there are 5 incidents a month. The beginning of fall and winter are the busiest,” states Ali Awadi, Assistant Manager for Campus Safety. “Pay attention, look for alternative parking lots, and don’t run late.” Awadi also encourages students not to “focus on parking in lots 2 and 10, [students] focus on those but there are other lots available.”

If you find yourself involved in an accident, “don’t take matters into your own hands and jeopardize your schooling. Things like getting into a fight and swearing are a violation of the code of conduct. Instead contact [Campus Safety],” states Awadi. Campus Safety also encourages students to save the dispatch number (313-845-9630) in their phones. This number can be used to report accidents, ask for safewalk assistance, or to report suspicious behavior.

Campus Safety also encourages students to report if they witness an accident. “You don’t have to identify yourself,” states Awadi, however reporting helps Campus Safety to know which lots to monitor.

HFC has been working to make parking easier and safer for students as well. According to the 2009 report on HFC’s website, “HFCC Parking Lot Project to Improve Campus and Help Local Economy,” there was a “three-year, $22 million project on the 75-acre main campus in Dearborn [which included] the redesign and construction of circulation roads, parking areas and service drives and the addition of green space to meet present and future needs of the campus.”

Dr. Stan Jensen, HFC President explains some of the positive outcomes since the parking lot project: “We have 3,590 available parking spots.... We have lettered the parking lots and badged the buildings in order to make it clearer for the students.” Dr. Jensen suggests, “We need [to] take responsibility, slow down and create that culture of courtesy.”

Even though the further parking lots may not be as convenient to students, Campus Safety advises less congestion in the more popular lots can lead to overall safer parking with less risk of accidents. “[Campus Safety offers] a safewalk so if you are uncomfortable walking to your car, that is available. The blue lights [in the parking lots and around campus] are a direct intercom to our dispatch center. If you don’t like parking in the lots further from the school late at night, there are options available so you don’t have to walk to [or from] your car alone.” Says Karen Schoen, Campus Safety Manager.

Cheryl Smith echoes Schoen: “The advice I’d give other students is slow down and pay attention, look both ways before pulling off and be aware of your surroundings. Try to park where there is less traffic, even if the walk is a little further.” Another way students can protect their vehicles is making sure they are insured. Smith ended up paying out of pocket for the damage to her car, even though she filed a police report on the incident, and it is not clear that the person who caused the damage was insured.

Having insurance can help those whose cars are damaged while parked. One student was able to submit a police report and make a claim on damage to her car in HFC’s parking lot due to a hit and run, and she only had to pay the deductible to have her car fixed.

For many in metro-Detroit, however, the cost of car insurance is too high. As reported by a 2013 Michigan Radio editorial on “What’s Behind the High Cost of Michigan Auto Insurance Rates,” depending on the zip code, auto insurance can be “outrageously high.”

Auto insurance companies have claimed that the cost is due to Michigan’s no-fault insurance, and have lobbied to change Michigan’s no-fault law. However, the editorial continues, “the real reason auto insurance is so high in some areas is theft, fraud, and uninsured motorists.”

As Charles Crumm of the Oakland Press reported in 2015 in “The Puzzle of Reforming Michigan No-Fault Auto Insurance,” as part of the no-fault insurance law in Michigan, a “catastrophic insurance fund [was] established in 1978 to cover catastrophic medical claims … The rates are adjusted yearly.” Crumm goes on to say that, “The 2015-2016 assessment is $150 per vehicle and are generally passed on [by insurance providers] to auto policyholders. The fund picks up the cost of catastrophic medical care once insurers have covered a certain limit, currently $545,000 per occurrence.”

Last summer, Senate Bill 288 was proposed which is known as the D-insurance bill since it is focused on reducing auto insurance rates in Detroit and trying to get more Detroit motorists insured. Detroit’s auto insurance rate is known to be among the highest in the nation, and Detroit has among the highest number of uninsured.

As Crumm reports, a key provision in SB 288 is to “allow policies in qualifying cities that offer less than Michigan’s current no-fault law requires,” and “It would limit benefits for critical care to $250,000, and limit personal protection benefits to $25,000.”
Crumm reports, according to Tom Constand of The Brain Injury Association, “those receiving care under the catastrophic claims fund would be shifted to Medicaid.” Constand, a critic of the bill, is quoted as saying, “Instead of getting treatment they need, they get a new wheelchair every three years and a new blanket.” SB 288 is backed by Mayor Duggan.

Advocates of SB 288 hope it will help reduce rates and encourage more metro-Detroit car owners to get insurance. After all, accidents can happen even in a parking lot.