There are many ways to get to and from school. Walking, riding the bus and driving are just a few. A number of people who are given the privilege to drive seem to be causing some problems for other commuters, as well as fellow drivers, such as backing out of the parking area without waiting for other people to pass by.

According to sophomore Karen Bildsoe, when she is on the bus after school, the students who park in the front parking lot by the gas station always seem to be in a hurry to get home. They leave the parking area fast, and there is always a line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot. The buses constantly have to stop for them and that creates traffic because the cars behind the buses have to stop as well because the entire street is packed, and they cannot change lanes.

During traffic hours, the streets are jam-packed. This is especially true on Main Street and Division because of the two student parking areas. However, Division is a larger street, so it has less traffic than that of Main Street. Main is smaller and in front of the main entrance where buses and parents drop off and load up/pick up students.

According to junior Vincent Barry, the biggest issue that he has seen so far this year is when people in the farthest corner of the Division parking lot try to pull out without looking for other cars. He points out that there are only three ways to leave that parking lot after school, and because of impatient drivers, there is a high chance of an accident happening.

He has not seen an actual accident, but states that is has come very close.

According to junior Gabe Page, he notices that people drive up and down the streets too fast in the parking lots and honk at others for no reason. He adds that he has been in a hit-and-run accident twice on school grounds, both times as the victim. He will be walking, and then drivers will come up to him and say that they almost hit him with their car.

Bildsoe notices that it is the busiest when people come to school and get released from school because that is when people are in the streets trying to get somewhere.

According to Page, the busiest time is right around 2:30 p.m., after the last bell rings. The vehicles and buses pack the entire lot. At the same time, there are many people walking to and from the school building to their buses, cars and to get home. He noted that people walking have a harder because drivers usually do not check their blind spot when they drive out.

The Division parking lot has more driving hazards than the one on Main, and Bildsoe complains that that parking lot is more dangerous because whenever she is walking through, there would always be a random car that decides to back out of their parking space right in front of her whenever she walks through that lot. Although she mentioned that she have not seen an accident happen, she says that when she walks by and a car backs out of the parking area, she could touch them if she reached out. Bildsoe adds that vehiclists just fail to notice pedestrians who are also trying to get to another destination.

Drivers, whatever age and gender, should really watch out for everything, no matter what time it is and when they are driving.

Students behind the wheel need to watch out for other drivers, especially during chaotic hours when the streets are packed. There is more than one driver trying to get home, and it is less dangerous if all share the way out of the parking lot. According to Barry, people should be courteous drivers, allowing the other person to go first.

Whatever the reason may be for drivers, young and old alike, to drive recklessly on school grounds is both dangerous for them and pedestrians. There is no difficulty in pausing and looking around for a car backing out or a pedestrian about to walk by. It does not take a long time to wait–30 seconds or three minutes at most–when it could cause injury or worse.

Of course there are a number of drivers who are doing what they are supposed to. Still though, there are a significant amount of people behind the wheel just flowing in and out of the parking lots like flood waters. If those drivers spend a few seconds scanning the activities going around them and sharing the road, the roads would be safer than they are now.