Numerous amounts of parents continue to disregard parking protocol in school parking lots, creating a more dangerous environment for staff and students. 

It has become very common for parents to park in empty student spots or drive through the staff parking lot. This not only increases traffic immensely, but has led to more accidents on campus. 

There are rules that students follow such as letting another car go ahead in every row when merging, yet parents do not feel the need to comply. Furthermore, some parents have little to no patience for student drivers, who are new to driving or are not completely comfortable with the tight spaces of the parking lot. 

“Parents cause a lot of trouble in the parking lot because they do not understand the unwritten agreements that students have which give everyone equal opportunities to leave quickly,” said senior Ellie Dowling. 

It is not fair for students to be paying $50 a semester for their spots only to have parents cut in line, use empty spaces, and be rude to the students. They should be thankful they even get to use the student lot for free. 

Many students experience the fright of getting nearly hit by parents every week and some students are unfortunate enough to actually collide with impatient parents. 

“Most of our major accidents have been caused by parents who are not following the rules. We should have proper etiquette and know that we are dealing with student drivers who are our priority,” said Principal Jennifer Smalley. 

On top of infiltrating the student lot, parents also drop their children off in the staff parking lot and proceed to make an illegal left turn to leave the school. This turn has led to many accidents even though it will not save parents very much time. Trying to leave the school a small fraction of a minute faster is not worth the possible damage that has and will occur. 

There are cones to reinforce the right turn out of the staff parking lot but many parents ignore them and risk the left turn even though it has been the cause of almost all the accidents at SJHHS. 

The city and district are discussing ways to fix this problem such as a three way stop but that would increase traffic tremendously. If parents would simply have the common courtesy to follow rules that are put in place to ensure safety, there would be no need for a three way stop, which would be an inconvenience to all. 

“Parents make driving for students a lot more dangerous because they are impatient. We have to be somewhere just as much as they do,” said senior Maddie Yi. 

There is always going to be some traffic due to the fact that there is only one exit and entrance on campus. Parents need to recognize they will not be able to leave the school fast no matter what they try.

Kindness and understanding is all students are asking of parents. Since the administration has allowed parents to use empty spots at no cost, they should be respectful towards the students they encounter. 

Patience with new drivers, understanding merging, and following parking rules will truly lead to a safer environment for everyone at SJHHS.