Throughout high school, I as well as many of my classmates have been looking forward to driving. The freedom it grants us, as well as how fun we see it makes it a milestone for us.

Because I am getting my license very soon, I have been driving at and near Mepham much more often. The one thing I have noticed is how unsafe people drive near the school. In the morning the congestion surrounding the back door is immense, and most parents disregard the traffic laws just to get to school a little bit faster. I have witnessed several near collisions while coming to school, and even saw a car accident occur this year right on Stewart Avenue. Based on the stories I have heard from seniors, and seeing people get their cars dented by other people’s doors has led me to not want to park my car in the senior lot next year. I don’t want to risk my car getting damaged for walking a little closer to the school, and in my eyes it is not worth it. I think that there needs to be some changes in the back of the school such as another lane of traffic so more people can pull into the lot and decrease the congestion. I also think that people need to realize that we are all going to the same place, and that safety is ultimately more important than being late to class.

Although changes to the parking and driving situations around the school will probably never change as drastically as needed, I think that some minor changes could make pickup and dropoff much easier for both parents and students.