Hurried parents rush through the student parking lot, putting student drivers and pedestrians at risk.

While parents have the choice to wait in the drop-off lane or drop their kids off on the side of the road, many choose to drop their students off in the student parking lot, resulting in negligent driving which causes increased risk to pedestrians due to overcrowding in the student parking lot.

Careless driving to avoid speed bumps, zooming through parking spaces and honking at innocent pedestrians are only some of the struggles students deal with when parents descend on the student parking lot. Every morning cars slowly drop off students before turning around and speeding out of the lot, putting everyone at risk.

After school is a completely different story. Instead of parents trying to cram into the parking lot all at once, everyone is trying to get out. After picking up their kids, parents speed to the line of cars waiting to get out, often cutting them off or blocking their way. Common driving courtesy is neglected in favor of honking and yelling at students who may need to get to an after-school job or have hours of homework to do.

Parents that drive their students argue that while the drop-off lane is a good idea, it is about 10 times too small. It moves slowly and only about 15 vehicles can be in there at any given time, causing traffic back up on Ella, as well as making it difficult for teachers to get into their parking lot. However, this problem can be fixed if parents skip traffic by leaving 10 or 20 minutes earlier.

Parents in the student parking lot are a problem. They cause crowding and cause more risk to students in and out of vehicles. If parents leave a bit earlier, the traffic will be reduced, causing a stress-free morning and a speedy drive to work.