It’s a common phenomenon: you’re trying to get out of the parking lot after school and get cut off by another student, or worse, an adult. This is one thing student drivers struggle with daily, to the point some have just opted for the bus.
The traffic and the loud music coming from all directions are enough to drive (no pun intended) any student crazy, especially after a long day of hallway traffic, which is another beast entirely. There is no specific driver to blame, however as a collective students rushing to get off of school grounds is the main challenge for most drivers.
Navigating anywhere within 30 minutes of school ending is like rush hour, just with an overwhelming amount of 16-18 year olds. Most of them with their windows down and their music at its max volume.
“It’s crazy how many cars are going towards each other.” Kennedy Becker (11) states. “I’ve seen a lot of curbs get hit.”
Some students even report being late to class due to the traffic. “Sometimes I’m late in the mornings because of the traffic,” Kennedy Becker (11) states. In relation to class times, the student body and staff already get there early enough; and trying to just get in the parking lot is really stressful.
To combat this problem, many students suggested students have a separate section from the pick up/drop off line, rather than all the cars and buses leaving at the same time and in the same spot.
The traffic director, Renee Dettmer says there is a different dynamic between the morning and afternoon drivetimes.
“There’s a huge difference between morning traffic and afternoon traffic because students are filtering in slowly in the mornings, while in the afternoon they all leave at the same time,” Dettmer said.
Student Resource Officer William Stearns explains that they’re both equally bad.
“Everybody drags in the morning, people are slow and lazy. In the afternoon everybody wants to get out and they all act crazy,” Stearns said.
A role that students could play in combating the traffic is being courteous to other drivers that surround them. It doesn’t take very long to let another driver in or out.
Students and parents need a safe and trite way of getting in and out of school, not just leaving later or arriving earlier.
