Most high school students count down the moments until they can drive. It is seen as an unofficial rite of passage. Driving gives teenagers a sense of freedom and grants them a newfound independence, but it is important to remember the weight of the responsibility that comes with it.
At the ages that teenagers can drive, their brains are not fully developed so they can act immaturely. By acting immaturely, they can make careless mistakes or not pay attention to the road. This can cause huge risks for the safety of the driver and other drivers around them.
An example of immature driving is in the Battlefield High school parking lot. Mary Houle, a Battlefield High school junior who is driving to school for the first time, explains that, “I believe student drivers at Battlefield, and in general, are incredibly immature. The student drivers at Battlefield take risks and occasionally put themselves or others in harm’s way in order to get through the parking lot as quickly as possible.” Immature driving is a widespread issue for teenage drivers all over the country, in schools and on the road.
Teenage drivers have a higher possibility of being involved in accidents because of their inexperience. Some believe they are much more experienced than they are, and by believing that they drop all caution while driving.
Being an inexperienced driver can be a cause to why the Battlefield High school parking lot is so crowded. If the students knew who to give right of way to or how to be more comfortable driving in a parking lot it could go much quicker. “The issue is still the need for literally 100s of drivers to get into a single ingress and out of a single egress point within the span of about 30 minutes, where no one wants to be the last one,” Mr. Buzzi, the head of security and of the BHS parking lot comments. Mr. Buzzi goes on to explain that all these causes simply mean terrible traffic. This issue causes students to get out of the parking lot as late as 2:40.
Teenagers are unfortunately easily distracted by others. This can cause them to be a higher hazard on the road than older drivers, who are more comfortable having people in their car. Having others in the car can be a problem for younger drivers as it can cause them to focus on things other than the road. Lizzie Lazarte, a student who gets driven by another teenager, comments “At first, I was extremely cautious in her car, and I made sure not to distract her. As she grew more comfortable in the parking lot, I started to interact with her more while making sure I did not do anything to take her attention fully off the road.”
Overall, teenage drivers are more dangerous on the road, but they will eventually learn and grow. They need to be cautious of the hazards of being a reckless driver and take into consideration all the outside factors. It is important for teenagers to practice safe driving everywhere, including school. If everyone drives with caution and respect for others, it will allow for an easier and safer parking lot at school and a safer roadway.
