Nowhere is Northern Virginia’s traffic epidemic clearer than McLean High School. In the mornings, cars line up on all streets leading to the school, halting movement in all directions. In the afternoon, within minutes of the dismissal bell, the school is once again at a traffic standstill. The “junior lot” next to the tennis courts is a hectic mess of teenage driving and angst. But do not despair, there is hope for change, and it starts with students. If more students opted to take the bus instead of driving, traffic could be reduced – creating a better experience for all. Achieving this outcome, however, will prove challenging.
It is students’ personal interest to take the bus. First off, with relatively high gas prices, students can save their and their parents’ money by take the free bus. While driving to school one day may not cost much, over the course of a year it can become a tremendous cost. For example, a student who drives a car with 20 MPG and lives 10 miles away from school will, on average, burn a gallon of gas each day they drive. With 180 days in a school year and, according to AAA’s fuel gauge report, gas prices averaging $3.169 in Virginia, this would add up to $570.42 over the course of a year. Financially, it does not make sense to drive.
Students can be safer by opting to take the bus as well. Basic probability suggests that the more often one drives – exposing themselves to a possible crash – the odd that they will eventually crash goes up. Beyond health risks of being in an accident, it will also likely cause an increase in insurance costs. School buses are far safer options for many students, financially and physically.
Convincing students to stop driving to school will be very difficult. A student may fully accept the logic behind driving less, but still see their personal enjoyment from driving as superior to the benefits the whole community will experience. However, ever so slowly, the trend could catch on and less students will drive gradually.
Obviously, some students have legitimate reasons to drive to school. Whether they are staying after for academic help, sports, or other extracurricular, it is extremely inconvenient for them to schedule rides. Certainly, these students should continue to drive and this article does not apply to them. However, there is a large group of students who only drive to school because they find it more enjoyable and mature than taking the bus, which is seen as a place for underclassmen. The students who opt to drive for no scheduling reason should be the ones who take the bus more. If such students do take the bus, traffic will reduced in and around McLean, and finding a good parking spot will be far less hectic.
