Charlie Wang

Last-minute merges at the entrance before school or improper turns onto the highway and Saratoga Avenue as students and parents leave school constitute a danger to the community. With only one entrance and exit to campus, drivers often make unsafe decisions to save time.

The final school bell chimes at 3 p.m. Within minutes, students flood Harker’s loading zones, and traffic slows while cars fill the exit lanes. As the traffic lights switch to green, a turning car suddenly merges onto the highway, almost clipping a passing car. 

An email sent to all students by Dean of Students Kevin Williamson on Feb. 26 highlighted this near-collision at the Saratoga Avenue intersection. In recent months, similar incidents have repeatedly occurred at the intersection, representing a larger trend of irresponsible driving within the Harker community. 

Last-minute merges at the entrance before school or improper turns onto the highway and Saratoga Avenue as students and parents leave school constitute a danger to the community. 

With only one entrance and exit to campus, drivers often make unsafe decisions to save time. Heavy traffic due to the proximity of I-280, inexperienced student drivers and frequent pedestrians at the intersection further contribute to the danger. 

According to a Google Form shared with the upper school on March 7, 25.9% of the 108 student and staff respondents reported seeing “irresponsible driving” “frequently,” with 38.9% selecting “sometimes.” Although careless driving does not always result in accidents, it creates unnecessary risk for our school community. 

We must emphasize to students, staff and parents that they bear a responsibility to keep our community safe. In practice, this abstracted approach largely fails, and accidents and near-misses continue to occur despite announcements from the administration advocating awareness. To bolster their efforts, the administration can monitor improper driving and facilitate clear communication about traffic protocol to help make our campus environment safer. 

20.3% of surveyed respondents said in an optional free response question that parents seem to be the ones driving the most irresponsibly. Using resources like cameras to create a more rigorous system monitoring incidents of just directing traffic at the entrance, where drivers tend to make the most last-minute maneuvers, could hold parents accountable. 

Further, mandating a tailored drivers’ orientation for students that clarifies driving courtesy and traffic rules at the Saratoga Avenue intersection will ensure our student drivers are educated about driving protocol within campus. Adding markings to divide the loading zone into more efficient lanes or ensuring the stop signs are not covered by shrubbery can improve clarity about traffic flow. 

Administrative action must go hand-in-hand with active participation and conscientious decision-making from the community. With a collaborative approach to safe driving, we can stop accidents before they happen.