As I step into my 2019 black Nissan Pathfinder, I close the door and press the button to start the ignition. I buckle my seat belt, connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker, and I pull out of my driveway, making the same three-point turn as I do every day. I turn onto Route 47, and then onto Princeton Drive, finally turning onto Del Webb Boulevard, the local neighborhood for the elderly. As I am driving down the boulevard, I see a car whiz past me and I notice a green tag in their car. Another student driver speeding at 7 a.m. 

For over 15 years, Huntley High School has offered students the ability to drive to school and park their cars on campus. Many students take advantage of this privilege and use it to get off-campus lunch, arrive later in the day, or get out of school early. Many students; however, have been abusing their privileges and are littering in the parking lots, recklessly driving, and are disrespectful towards other drivers and campus supervisors. 

Yet, the main issue has been speeding in and out of Del Webb in the morning and afternoon. Del Webb Boulevard is a public road that serves as the main road for Del Webb. 

“When I started 15 years ago, we had student parking and instead of tags, we had numbered spots that you could park in,” dean Chris Duncan said. “Every student was assigned a spot in the parking lot. That created a problem where students would park in Del Webb and then walk to school. We got rid of the assigned spots and then issued passes along with the Good Neighbor Policy, which put an end to that.”

Del Webb Boulevard is a public road that serves as the main road for Del Webb. Since its establishment, students have used Del Webb to speed past Main Street and Harmony Road. The speed limit signs say that the limit is 35, but many drivers are going upwards of 40 to 45 miles per hour. This can lead to accidents, injuries, and other devastating results. 

“I drive my friends through Del Webb whenever they need a ride home,” junior Jayden Zenaty said. “I feel like [the disrespect and speeding] is going to ruin it for everyone else too. If one person does it, then more people are going to do it, and then ruin it for everyone else.”

Huntley High School not only offers its own disciplinary actions, but they also communicate with Huntley Police forces in case of serious issues. Their main goal is to keep everyone safe and to make sure that their drivers are following the rules of the road. 

“Our goal is not to write tickets or issue warnings, our goal is to change dangerous driving behavior,” said Kevin Choklad, Harmony road resource officer. 

Students can expect two different types of discipline with driving. When they are disrespectful to staff members, other students, or school property when driving, they can expect to get their passes revoked for some time or serve detentions accordingly by the school. When it comes to breaking the law, or any off-campus violations, police officers are the ones that handle the situation accordingly. 

Not everything has been negative about student drivers this year. Students are more responsible in communicating to Duncan about car issues, reporting, or overall parking needs. 

“I have been impressed with the students who do approach me about concerns with their car,” Duncan said. “If they have a car in the shop, they need to lend a tag to their friend for a day, they need to switch tags, overall students are responsible and great with communication. I hope to see it continue as the year goes on.”