Recently there has been an increase in near accidents involving students on Wolftrap as well as on campus in the parking lot.

Students are feeling the need for extra care when they drive in and off campus.

“Drivers around me are pretty wreckless and don’t pay attention to their surroundings,” senior Courtney Gill said. “People are always in such a rush to get out of the parking lot.”

Even students who don’t drive themselves are feeling that they are in danger.

“I think students are more naive about the actual danger they could be facing when crossing the road or even the ones driving the vehicle,” junior Alex Reyes said. “Kids usually don’t think twice before making a decision, especially when it comes to everyday things like safety.”

Even adults complain about the problems with the near accidents.

“Adults I’ve talked to have had many encounters in our parking lot,” senior Nate Hull said. “The close encounters students experience is the skinny lanes of the parking lot and the overall layout make it difficult for anybody to not get hit.”

Officer Amanda Covington sees one problem that is out of students’ control.

“I think weather plays a factor in the amount of near accidents,” Covington said. “Also, some kids just don’t see past their dashboard and don’t pay attention.”

But for some students, the solution is simple.

“They need to start staying off of their phones and limiting amount of friends in the car,” Gill said.

Others see that the solution is not so simple.

“The inexperienced new drivers have only increased the already high risk situation,” Hull said. “It feels like the parking lot is to blame, seeing as it’s built for 200 students when the senior class alone is 700 students.”

Hull feels as if the solution should have come sooner.
“All of the money spent on tedious renovations could have, and I believe should have, been spent on a redo project of the parking lot,” Hull said.

Covington sees the solution not on the drivers themselves.

“I think that pedestrians need to know and abide by the laws,” Covington said. “They need to understand that they don’t always have the right of way in certain situations.”

New drivers feel the sting of these tensions trying to leave after school and see that as a possible point to tackle in finding a potential solution.

“Getting used to the multitasking of driving is a long process to learn, so the inexperience of these drivers is a big factor in these accidents,” Reyes said.

Reyes also feels like other factors contribute to the lack of attention and the increase in accidents, and therefore could lead to potential solutions.

“If students make sure to follow the signals of the road, there should definitely be a reduction of accidents,” Reyes said. “At the same time, kids shouldn’t completely trust that other drivers will abide by the rules. It’s very important for common sense of the students as well as regulations to help make decisions that will ensure everyone is safe.”