For the licensed drivers at Millennium, entering and leaving the school parking lot can be a time consuming and a dangerous task.

At the end of the day, it’s all about getting out of the parking lot as fast as you can. Take the brutal traffic and the impatient teenagers and you get the student parking lot.

“Everyone’s trying to get out of the parking lot so fast so there’s no mercy in the parking lot!” stated junior Cheyenne McFate in regards to the safety of the parking lot, where it’s dog-eat-dog.

Impatience can cause drivers to make poor driving decisions, which is why the parking lot traffic is such a major problem. Students run the stop sign, neglect to turn on their turn signals, and drive over the speed limit. This puts all other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

Thankfully, a few of the security guards help to direct the traffic. However, it’s up to the students to make the parking lot a safe environment for everyone.

In order for the traffic to be subdued, some changes must be made starting with the students. Students must practice patience. Although the parking lot is crowded, trying to be the first one out will only anger other drivers and increase the likelihood for an accident. Believe it or not, patience will actually make the long wait go by faster and less stressful.

Thankfully, the school is aware of the safety and traffic problems and is working hard to make parking safe and fast.

“In the beginning of the year, we had a lot of parents using the student parking lot as a drop off and pick up area, which it is not,” principal Tamee Gressett explained. “We were also allowing left turns which holds up the flow of traffic, which we have recently changed to allow a right turn only. Once construction starts we will have an additional exit on the west side of the parking lot.”

Clearly, the school is doing their part to help out with the traffic and danger involved in the student parking lot. Now it’s the students’ turn to do their part; be patient, be courteous, and be smart. As Ms. Gressett puts it, “People just need to be nice.”