In Oregon, teenagers may begin driving at age 15 with a permit and can get their license at 16, but they are still learning. Drivers ages 16-17 have the most car accidents than any other age group. Teens are most likely to engage in reckless driving whether it be driving too fast, failure to yield, tailgating, driving under the influence, and cell phone usage, among other reckless driving habits. It is a relatively known fact that most teens are not amazing drivers, and at Marshfield High School the majority of the parking lot is filled with teen drivers.
“I’ve almost been murdered in the parking lot,” said sophomore Graddy Meyers, speaking on dodging student drivers.
It is typical for students to feel as if they are unsafe when walking in the parking lot, or for parents to have teen drivers cut them off when trying to pick up or drop off students. The main culprit: the undeveloped frontal lobe in teen drivers.
Although teens may think they are mature as adults, that’s untrue because the frontal lobe doesn’t fully develop until the early 20s for women, and ages 25-30 for men. This, combined with inexperience, are mostly to blame for reckless teen driving habits. Teens aren’t as responsible as an adult, and engage in more reckless behavior because of it. It also factors into the higher insurance rates teens pay. Due to this reckless driving nearly 10% of teens will get into car accidents.
With age and more experience, the percentage of collisions decreases. However, in the meantime staff and parents have to be careful and mindful that there are many teen drivers around the high school.
At MHS, there are mixed feelings about the parking spots and the drivers. There’s even a forum on Google classroom that addresses the layout of the lot.
“I do think that part of the reason I’ve been doored 3 times was due to the size of the parking spots,” said… “They’re narrow.” says Stacey Culver.
The lower parking lot, known as Pirate Parking Lot, has larger parking spaces, but students still have difficulties leaving or entering during lunch and after school. There have also been instances where students or teachers have been hit, especially during the tsunami warning.
“People are always stealing each other’s spot, which is annoying because we pay for them,” said senior Erika Akers. “I think people drive way too fast, because I always feel like I’m going to get hit like when I’m trying to even walk to my car–someone is going like 30 to get out of the school.”
Students aren’t the only ones who have issues parking in the school parking lot. Many staff members have had their vehicles hit or dented when parked at MHS. Events only increase the congestion and the amount of cars in parking lots that are already narrow.
There is hope, though! For students who have difficulty parking in the lot, they could always decide to take the bus to and from school. If that is not possible, there’s always sharing rides, which will mean less cars in the parking lot. In the end, it all comes down to practice. Don’t be afraid to practice pulling into a parking spot during after hours, when the lot is nearly empty. Practice makes perfect.