You may have heard about or even witnessed some of the accidents that have happened this year at Panther Creek High School. Since so many students drive to school everyday, it is a big concern that parking lot accidents have become common. How do Catamounts react to these accidents? And what are they doing to prevent an accident of their own?

One senior, Cameron Wood, thinks that these accidents are due to carelessness, saying that they can be avoided easily. He doesn’t understand why accidents keep happening. The most common mistake he sees is people being too aggressive in the parking lot. These are the students who feel like they need to get out immediately and can’t wait for their friends to let them out. To prevent accidents, Cameron waits for all the cars to clear out or for a friend to let him out while always using caution. His tips to Panther Creek student drivers are to be safe in the parking lot, be more aware of your surroundings, and to not just back out really fast without looking.  

Another senior, Polina Pechnikova, says that the most common mistake she sees is people being inconsiderate of other drivers. She uses good driving practices to prevent accidents by checking her mirrors frequently and not being distracted by electronics. Her one tip to Panther Creek student drivers is, “Be rational and kind.”

Senior Bailey Bond says that people not paying attention is frequent in the parking lot. She says paying attention is her way of not getting into accidents; she also hangs out with friends until the parking lot clears out because she sees no point trying to back out during the craziness. Her one tip to all the student drivers at Panther Creek is, “Oh hey juniors, actually let people out!”

Junior Abby Myer states that there are too many accidents happening in the parking lot. Abby says that she waits for people to signal her before she pulls out into the line, and that if everybody was more patient the parking lot would be a safer place.

Although we cannot blame one class of the student body for being inconsiderate, there seems to be a pattern of students being too careless and inconsiderate, in addition to lacking the proper attention needed for safe driving. In order to have a safer environment for everyone driving out of the school, students should listen to their peers’ advice on safer driving. It would create a harmonious flow of traffic and it could save you money that might be spent fixing damages to a car.