By Julie Kippenbrock
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In the past few weeks, I’ve learned student drivers at this school are horrible. They zoom through the parking lot, slam on their brakes and cut you off. They are notorious for tailgating and rear-ending people. Ever since the first day of parking down the trail, I realized this. What I didn’t realize was exactly how bad the situation is.

I always thought adults and politicians were ridiculous for generalizing all teenage drivers as careless and giving us all a bad rep. Recently, Indiana passed a new law making it harder for teenagers to obtain their license. Just a few weeks ago I completely disagreed with the new law. I didn’t understand why the mistakes of a few teenagers had to affect us all.

A month or so ago, my thoughts changed. I witnessed my first rear-end accident. It involved a fellow junior who, as he was waving to me, hit the back of the car in front of him as it stopped to turn. I chalked this accident up to him not paying close attention and probably driving too fast.

On the topic of speed, ask anyone who parks at the trail; it’s an everyday occurrence when some kid thinks it would be fun to zoom through the entire parking lot at high speeds, not paying attention to any other cars. I have seen near misses numerous times.

Not only does common sense come into play, but common courtesy does too. Student drivers at this school are selfish and rarely ever let other cars in or take turns when there is a long line to get out of the parking lot but conversely think that other people should let them in. It makes no sense. Or there are the people who decide they are too good to wait in line like everyone else and cut in front of a long line.

It was right there in the stadium parking lot where the event that angered me the most happened. I was in my parents’ nice SUV (a car that they are always already hesitant to let me drive) when some girl hit the back of my car when I was stopped. The collision left no dent, thank goodness, and resulted in just a few scratches, but the fact that she wasn’t paying attention to my stationary car angered me. How clueless do you have to be to hit a stopped car? When I looked back she was giggling about it to her friend in the car. I have never been so mad before.

I know not all teenage drivers are horrible, nor am I saying I’m the best teenage driver out there, but I do try to be careful, to pay attention and to make careful decisions. It’s a courtesy I hope all of us can follow.