Around sunrise, the South parking lot is greeted by several upperclassmen drivers with aims of securing their preferred spot. By 2:10 p.m., a swift exit from the school seems to be the goal of many, given that the process can be time consuming. It is suggested by staff that students patiently depart and allow twenty minutes to do so. However, numerous incidents in the lot have occurred within the first few months of school attendance.
Towards the beginning of the year, one car crashed into a student trying to cross the crosswalk. In addition, countless cars and trucks proceed to rev their engines and perform burnouts before leaving school grounds. Not only does this damage school property, but it also enables other students to drive recklessly. What seems like harmless fun can likely translate to higher risks of collisions.
Trying to maneuver in and out of the parking lot is often where concerns lie for the driver population at South. Joey O’Dell is a senior who has been driving to school for about a year and a half.
“It’s early in the morning, so I’m a little sleepy. Lots of people swerve around the road,” said O’Dell. According to O’Dell, drivers are very unpredictable as some have more experience than others.
Natalie Jones is a junior who began driving to school during her sophomore year. Like other students, she feels the need to be very cautious amid early mornings.
“It’s very difficult for me to see when it gets super crowded. I got into a car accident because of that,” Jones said.
The desire for students to flee the school as quickly as possible mixed with other distractions like music and cell phones create more potential for collisions.
“Nobody checks their mirrors,” said Hashir Moin, a senior who’s been driving to school since August this year.
The school and surrounding areas have already begun to change in order to accommodate recent accidents in the parking lot. Once the new traffic light is installed on Ridge road, congestion is likely to ease, allowing shorter commutes for students and staff. However, safety is ultimately in the hands of the driver and their ability to focus after school hours.
According to Mr. Leclair, a dean, students’ actio
ns can lead to dangerous outcomes if they are not careful.
“[Students] just need to understand the repercussions of their actions. We had a student who got hit by a car in the parking lot earlier this school year. The driver was doing something that they shouldn’t have been doing,” Leclair said.
Needless to say, full attention of the students in the parking lot is required in order to conduct a safe entry and exit. Minimizing cell phone use, keeping the volume at a respectable level, and simply checking every mirror can stop unnecessary collisions and more importantly, save lives.
