Alex Jones

The D lot is one of the largest parking lots for both seniors and juniors. The bend to enter has become increasingly dangerous as students enter and exit throughout the school day.

Ever since the construction of the tower and the gym, Pleasant Valley parking lots have been a battleground. Whether it’s to get a parking spot or a parking pass, there is a battle for safety as a parking lot is statistically the most dangerous place in most high schools. 

According to the National Safety Council, on average, at least 60,000 people are injured and over 500 or more die in the 50,000-plus crashes in parking lots and garages every year. This statistic refers to all parking across the nation, including schools. However, the same risk still applies to high school, as the rate is likely higher due to the poor decision-making of teen drivers.

According to the CDC, compared to older drivers, teens are more likely to speed and to leave shorter stopping distances from vehicles in front of them, and these risky driving behaviors appear to be worse when a male teenage passenger is present. 

The claim about risky driving and male presence is only reinforced by a study published by the US Department of Transportation. The study finds the fatal crash rate for licensed young male drivers aged 15 to 20 in 2022 was 58.73 per 100,000. The fatal crash rate for the same age group of the opposite sex was only 22.74 per 100,000.  

The statistics prove the dangers teen drivers bring to both themselves and other drivers and pedestrians. And as the data is primarily collected outside of the school parking lot, it can be assumed that a high school parking lot is a Pandora’s box of teenagers’ poor driving abilities.

Pleasant Valley students witness the craziness of our parking lot daily. “I sit in the parking lot in the morning before class, and I see lots of students speeding. It’s usually the same cars every day. However, it is still a widespread problem because I see lots of other students causing the same problems repeatedly,” said senior Malea Johnson. 

Although statistics point to male drivers being multiple times more likely to display risky behaviors, the safety issues presented in the parking lot can not be boiled down to a smaller demographic, as a large chunk of the student population contributes to the unsafe nature of the parking lot. 

The dangerous nature of the parking lot can also be attributed to the physical environment. “There are blind spots where cars turn out of tower parking, and these blind spots result in cars almost hitting each other consistently multiple times during traffic hours,” said senior Elizabeth Otts. “There is a curve with a blind spot going into the main parking lot by the tennis courts, and many people speed through there without staying in their lane. I am always seeing cars almost hit other students and almost cause head-on collisions with oncoming traffic.”

The dangers do not only exist when pedestrians and other moving cars are present. “One time I walked out to my car after school, and I noticed a huge dent in the side of my car, and was very curious of where it came from, so I went in and talked to Deputy Fah and after pulling up the security footage we could see that somebody had backed into my car, and they fled the scene,” said sophomore Grace Law.  

Stories exactly like these are not hard to come by in Pleasant Valley;  many students either have had their car hit in the parking lot or know an individual who has had their car hit in the parking lot. 

The Pleasant Valley parking lot is a dangerous environment for both people and property, as both the poor decision-making of young individuals and the unsafe design perpetuate the danger students face daily.