Hundreds of cars and students bustle out of the school as the day ends. Cars are bumper to bumper as each driver rushes to leave. Suddenly, there’s a thud and a bang, and junior Ava McLeod’s rear bumper falls completely off her car following a crash. In shock, she surveys the damage.

“I was walking up to my car and saw a giant black piece of metal. [A classmate came down], and told me that he had hit my car. I thought ‘That’s crazy.’ How could anyone hit my car?” McLeod said. “It is so easy for kids to hit your car. I never thought about my safety until I was put in that situation.”

Teens between the ages of 16-19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash compared to drivers over the age of 20. Furthermore, findings from a 10-year long survey show that 1,080 school-transportation accidents occurred between 2010-2019. At West, juniors and seniors are given an opportunity to drive to and park at school. They won’t be issued a ticket if they have a legible parking pass — along with a registered car and license plate. However, many students misuse this privilege, driving rashly and allowing for accidents. If the very base of our society, the education system is unsafe, the time to act is now. 

Multiple distractions within school zones often make it difficult for students to be the most effective drivers — some of the most pressing being phone and music usage. While schools are not directly responsible for this issue, they should not condone excessive car noise, which interferes with a student’s ability to drive safely. If an officer can issue a ticket for students who don’t have a parking pass, they should be able to issue a ticket for those who have their phones out while driving, for it is a critical threat to student safety. This might mean spending extra money to hire more school resource officers. According to Pew Research, 43% of all 16 and 17-year-old drivers have admitted to phone usage while driving. Phones and media are a costly threat to driver safety; so, in order to ensure personal and general well-being, setting phones aside while driving must be a priority. 

Additionally, in Missouri, the Siddens Bening Hands-Free Law bans individuals from driving with an electronic in their hands. While the law became effective in Aug, 2023, police officers will not issue drivers citations until 2025. With the extra time before the law is enforced, districts should enact policies regarding phone usage since most do not surveil students for this issue. Students can take accountability by putting their phones out of sight while driving.

“You should stay off your phone [in the school parking lot]. You don’t need the radio blasting because not everyone needs to hear your music. [Students should] be able to hear an emergency vehicle trying to get around or another vehicle,” School Resource Officer Matt Paubel said.

As the end of the school day approaches, another critical concern arises. Because students are eager to leave school before the pickup and bus rush, it can lead to absentmindedness when backing out, moving with the flow of the traffic and wearing a seatbelt. Almost 840,000 car accidents occur each year just because blind spots are neglected, so students must ensure there are no pedestrians or cars in the way when backing out. Though most states have strict seat belt laws, student drivers still refuse to buckle up. In fact, in 2019, 43% of high school students reported not always wearing a seatbelt. 

Even if it’s uncomfortable, or drivers are in a rush to leave, seat belts are important for safety reasons. Not only do they secure the passenger in place, but in the case of an accident, seat belts prevent ejection and distribute the impact force, so a person is less likely to get injured or lose their life.

“[I would advise students to] slow down. We’ll all get out of here on time. There’s really no reason to speed through the parking lot, so take it slow,” Paubel explained. “[It is important to] watch for other students that are going to be crossing [and] stay out of the bus lanes because you never know what students are going to be getting on and off different buses. We’re all going to get out here at a reasonable time and going fast is not going to get you out of here 30 seconds faster.”

Within the school zone, students and staff must secure their cars. A click of a button can do so much to ensure protection from theft or invaders. However, locking cars is just the first step, there can still be risks when there is minimal surveillance or monitoring over a sector. After parking his car in the school soccer lot, senior Sam Huber’s car was broken into and$120 was stolen from his personal fund. 

“There was glass everywhere and I had to repair it myself. The school doesn’t have cameras for specific liability reasons. I am so angry. I get free lunches, I’m not even rich or anything like that. A lot of people don’t lock their doors, including me, but people really should,” Huber said

Although distressing, Huber’s case was a rare occurrence. The school has faced multiple small crashes, but they are not liable for any property damage to students. The premises have motion-detectable security cameras to find any suspicious behavior near the school, but there are no cameras further out on the property due to difficulty obtaining permission.  Additionally, according to sections 35-37 of Senate Bill No. 995, schools must report any incidents of first and second-degree burglary and first-degree robbery to law enforcement agencies. After the report is created, the issue is out of both the school’s and the student’s hands. Also, under the law, schools do not need to report crashes and are not liable for any damage created.

“The cameras are predominantly focused on the entrances and exits of our building to enhance student and staff safety. [In] parking lots, where students are not frequently spending time, is not somewhere where we have a lot of video cameras. It’s also a large logistical challenge to have cameras that are outside of campus, whereas in the building, there [are] lots of walls and different things you can put cameras up on,” Principal John McCabe said. 

Although it may be difficult, the school should increase the range of its security cameras. Especially when so many accidents occur, increased surveillance can help schools safeguard their students within parking lots. Furthermore, slogans like “Buckle Up, Phone Down” from the Missouri Department of Transportation can encourage student safety, not just for pedestrians outside of the car, but passengers riding inside. 

“The most important thing to remember is to follow all of our road signs, including speed limits. People need to follow driving protocols for things to be safe. When you break the law or break a rule, you are putting yourself and others at risk of a crash and accident,” McCabe said. “There’s a reason that we have a very low-speed limit on campus — because we want everybody to get home safely.”

Schools can ultimately act as they desire, but in the interest of student safety, administers should consider improving lackluster surveillance around campuses.

Every day that schools don’t take action to protect the safety of student drivers is another day that students feel unsafe on the premises where they receive education. Additionally, students should take action within their own cars — they can limit music, put aside their phones, and abide by traffic rules. Both students and schools must make effective choices and enforce strict policies to ensure the safety of everyone on their grounds. 

“It’s important to be a good driver because you are not only trying to stay safe for yourself but for everyone around you. Your life is at risk every time you get into the car, so just make sure to follow the rules and watch out when you are driving,” Afentoullis said.