Last year, the middle lane on school road was used for all of the wrong reasons. On school road, the middle lane is meant to be used for turning, yet some students and parents are using it to pass other vehicles, or even cutting people off in line. Due to the illegal passing and merging from the middle lane, the road will be getting more patrol officers to help improve road safety.
Officer Blake Chalmers, is beginning his second year pratolling at Raypec. Although Chalmers has had only one full year of experience, the number of accidents reported last school year are insane.
¨Last year I think there were 16 accidents¨ said Chalmers.
Unfortunately, most of the people who were in the accidents did not cause them.Rebekah Shepard who is a senior this year, was one of many unlucky students who was involved in an accident on school road last year.
¨I was going straight on school road, and I got rear ended at the stop light. Then I ran into the car in front of me¨ said Shepard.
Many people are getting pulled over on the road because of violating the rules. Yet, there has been little to no change, even with the laws being enforced. On school road, students, staff, and parents are continuing to misuse the middle lane.
¨The middle lane is to make turns, and not to pass other cars. Its not a merging lane whatsoever¨ said Chalmers.
Chalmers stated merging and passing cars using the middle name is illegal, yet people continue to break the laws. With this lane being continuously used incorrectly there could be more accidents, and the school is doing what it can to protect its students.
¨They have additional patrol officers to patrol¨ said Chalmers.
Even with more patrol officers, determining exactly where and why accidents are happening proves to be a challenge. Shelby Prather, who is a new teacher this year, shares her input on the school road traffic and the dangers that occur.
¨Students are less experienced, but adults might be less cautious,¨ said Prather.
Although the tighter restrictions are being enforced, students also need to control themselves while on the road. Even with stricter protocals, it is hard to determine if there will be a difference in the accident numbers.
¨I think students will be more cautious about using the turning lane¨ said Prather.
The main reason for enforcing the new restrictions on the middle lane on school road is to protect the ones on the road. The hope is to have everyone follow the new rules to keep everyone safe while decreasing the number of accidents. This year, the goal is for people to use the middle lane for the right reasons.