It’s that time, the time you’ve been anticipating for years. You’ve had to wait the last 16 years to be able to get behind the wheel. Oh sure, you think driving to school is going to be easy, and that might be the case; however, it can be more complicated than it may seem.

First things first: traffic. Everybody hates how much traffic there is in the morning and the afternoon. With the middle school and high school right beside each other, traffic is almost double the amount that it would normally be with just one school. There are cars and buses everywhere that back up traffic and can cause a lot of chaos.

Throughout the week, students notice different traffic patterns on different days. Mondays and Fridays seem to be the less busy days, Tuesdays and Thursdays are average, and Wednesdays are the most busy. Even though these are not definitive patterns, it’s still something to pay attention to and may be beneficial to you.

The biggest tip that anyone could give you is DO NOT take a parking spot that practically has someone’s name written across it. On the first day of school, drivers park in a spot and intend to keep the same spot for the rest of the year. No, the parking spots are not assigned, but this is just one of the many unwritten rules of high school.

Another very confusing driving skill is the intersection in front of Mills Grill and Grocery. This intersection gets backed up all the time and you may end up sitting there forever. Instead, when leaving the parking lot, just take a left out of school and take Whitmell School Rd. back to Mt. Cross Rd.

When buses start to pull out, be courteous and stop. I know, you don’t want to get stuck behind a bus, but bus drivers sometimes have a hard time in the traffic. This helps the traffic flow, so it’s nice to let them all go at once.

As a new driver, school is for sure one of the most stressful places to drive. Driving around students you know with the fear of doing something embarrassing, like possibly wrecking, or simply just not knowing what you’re doing can be very intimidating. Some people try to show off their jacked up trucks or nice cars, but trust me, this is not the time or place. This could cause public embarrassment or even an accident.

When taking a sibling to school and not trying to look like a mom or do anything ‘uncool,’ being patient with other parents while waiting is the key. The line can get crazy long some days and there is no time to wait. When picking up a student, always make sure that you pull up far enough so more cars can get into the line. Warning: DO NOT cut line or take a long time to pick up your child. This may cause parental aggressive driving.

Also, when the elementary or middle school lets out, pulling up as far as you can is crucial to keep the line flowing. If you don’t follow this simple rule, the teachers directing traffic will probably yell and we do not want that.

Even though driving to school can be confusing and stressful at first, once you do it a few times, it’s nothing. If you apply these simple tips driving to school should be a breeze.