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Public commentary Dear Editor: Most of us have witnessed students racing dangerously around town during their midday break. We have all seen cars filled with high school students, speeding and driving recklessly. But how many more lunchtime road deaths must occur before campuses are finally closed? By bringing together several high risk factors, we believe that leaving school grounds for lunch poses a risky and potentially deadly situation for new young drivers. When students leave campus for lunch, they often pile several of their friends and classmates into their car. Having multiple passengers in their cars is one of the riskiest factors for teen crashes. Furthermore, with a limited amount of time available for lunch period, students are often rushing out and rushing back to school to beat the bell. Adding speed to distracted driving causes accidents and student deaths. Therefore, we encourage school districts to consider closing their campuses proactively, before tragedies occur, rather than reactively in response to yet another teen death and support legislation to this effect. Open campus opponents say student safety is paramount and studies have shown that open-school policies can mean higher crash rates for teens. Others say an open campus teaches high school students responsibility and prepares them for the less structured environment of college. Teens can make bad driving decisions before or after school as easily as during the lunch hour and closing campus is by no means the only solution to the complex problem of teen driving fatalities. Parents must enforce rules that experts know are critical for safe driving including: prohibiting passengers, wearing seatbelts, limiting night driving, restricting cell phone use and other distractions. They should also give their young drivers many more hours of supervised practice time than the New York State DMV requires. If we can eliminate even one opportunity for teens to make a tragic mistake, we should. Closing high school campuses will send a strong message to our children that we are serious about responsible driving and their safety. Perhaps this message will stay with some students when they're driving before and after school. It is too simplistic to think we can take any one step to prevent future tragedies. But that should not stop us from moving forward. If we take enough steps in the right direction for long enough, we are bound to get on the right road. It's time for our parents, schools and communities to come together and do what's safest for our kids. School districts cannot create a safer environment for high school students without the help and support of parents and their community. This has to be a partnership.
Saving lives must be a priority: closing campuses is one vital means of achieving that goal.
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