Students’ reckless driving has been an unavoidable concern that roams the roads of Panther Creek. Last year, we saw a devastating accident occur that not only raised questions about the ability of student drivers to follow the rules but also highlighted the scarcity of patrol officers enforcing traffic laws.
To better understand staff concerns a survey was conducted exclusively among teachers to gather their thoughts on Panther Creek students’ reckless driving habits and how the school can move forward in securing the safety of students, staff, and parents while on campus. Teachers, who are present during arrival and dismissal times, often witness unsafe behavior firsthand, making their perspectives especially valuable.
The survey response made a clear pattern of concern many teachers expressed that students frequently fail to follow traffic rules, and that additional safety measures must be implemented. Nevertheless, this is especially evident in one of the most striking polls, where 75% of the teachers voted that Panther Creek needs more patrol officers assisting traffic. This trend shows that supervision is underestimated and insufficient.
Further survey results support this, when asked how often they notice students driving recklessly in the parking lot or school zone, 46.2% of teachers said that they sometimes observe it. Moreover, 28.2% said that they see it often. This means that the majority of teachers see more unsafe driving behaviors. On the other hand, only 15.4 reported having rarely witnessed any unsafe driving habits, and 10.3% said that they have never seen it. These numbers lead to the conclusion that not only is it a threat to students’ lives, but also to teachers’ lives.
Teachers also share that this issue has a solution, with nearly 80% believing that the school should add more regulations and pay closer to reckless driving, and nearly 98% concurring that parents should guide students more when it comes to driving. Nonetheless, parental involvement and driver’s education do play a very important role in good student drivers; they may not be the most crucial factor to assist a change on our campus, as students themselves agree.
As we dug deeper and started interviews with students, one thing that was made clear through students’ indirect confirmation to us was the effectiveness of patrol officers. Junior Dylyn Hall stated, “In reality, some people see it as cool, but it is definitely dangerous. I see way too many people in accidents,” adding that “there have been close calls every day and it just gets worse and worse.” Another student justified speeding by saying, “When I speed, I just try not to be late.” However, nearly all students acknowledged that they slow down when patrol officers or police are present. This proves that increased patrol presence directly influences safer behavior.
It is clear that if we want a safer community and campus that patrol officers should not only be a option or a recommendation but a necessity, as this would not help keep students and teachers safe, but also pedestrians and residing residents of McCrimmon Parkway. Patrol officers will help create a safer space for all Catamounts.
