Students reminded to be careful in the parking lot

“People are one mistake away from a tragedy. It worries me, but as long as they are ready to stop, there shouldn’t be an issue,” explained Deputy DeLanoy, Milford Police Liaison.

As DeLanoy has said, students and other drivers driving in the Milford High School parking lot, or any parking lot for that matter, are a split second away from getting in an accident if they are not paying attention.

Recently, an accident occurred when a student was leaving the school and was hit in the parking lot.

“I was driving down the aisle like normal and suddenly a car driving through the parking spots hit me,” explained senior Aryn Lupini. The cost of the damage to his vehicle was over $3,000. His insurance covered most of the costs. but would not cover the after market components.

Many questions arose about what to do if an accident occurs on school property. For example, Sophia Heika, a junior at Milford High School, questioned why there was no posted speed limit near the student parking lot, or anywhere on the school property.

DeLanoy explained the answer to this question during an interview saying that since school property is private property, there is no posted speed limit. With this in mind, drivers are suggested to drive around ten miles an hour or under and are still eligible for a reckless driving ticket if driving recklessly.

Being that the school parking lot is private property, regulations are still in place involving calling 911. “ Hitting a stopped car is still a crime, which means you stay at the scene until help comes,” said DeLanoy.

DeLanoy also explained that if an accident occurs after school hours call 911, but if an accident occurs during school hours, send someonee to find help or Officer DeLanoy. If the damage to the car is over $1,000, all persons involved must stay at the scene. Being that it is hard to judge if the damage to the car costs $1,000, people should still stay at the scene of the accident.

Although there have been few accidents this 2016-2017 school year in the student parking lot, there are plenty of ways to reduce the risk of causing future accidents. ¨My tip to student drivers is to drive under ten miles per hour and never use your phones while driving,¨ said DeLanoy. To go along with reducing the risk of an accident, students are prohibited to park in the first row during school hours. This is because it allows moving vehicles to see pedestrians or students trying to cross the road.

In addition to DeLanoy advising the parking lot, Mr.Sharpe is also a parking lot safety monitor. He walks through the rows of the student parking lot and assures that all cars have a parking pass. There are also cameras that can be used to see who was at fault in an accident on school property.

As a driver, you should always be aware of your surroundings and ready to stop at any given moment while driving in a parking lot. Remember that an accident can happen in a split second if you ;are not paying attention. It is up to you as a driver to stand up and make Milford’s and surrounding community parking lots a safer place.