Officer Dave Montalvo has been seeing many students breaking the rules in the LHS parking lot this fall. He plans to get a portable speed sign to allow students to see their speed and also he plans to brighten the stop signs.
“That is a legitimate stop sign out there in front of the flag poles so kids need to come to a complete stop there,” Montalvo said. “And then the speed limit in here is ten miles per hour. Kids are going to the portables and we might not always be watching for cars.”
Montalvo is also concerned with the traffic laws on the roads outside of Liberty. When parking, cars should be on the shoulder and going with the direction of travel. Also, drivers shouldn’t be parking too close to intersections or fire hydrants. Legally, you must be parked six meters away from an intersection and 15 feet away from a hydrant.
Another problem that Montalvo has found is that students are parking in front of driveways on 138th or in areas where there are no-parking signs.
Students are also noticing the laws that are being broken. Junior Laurie Willoughby’s car got hit in October because of a student going too fast around a corner and being unaware of their surroundings.
“They just scraped it, but what really got me was that the person who hit me didn’t say anything. I had to hear about it from somebody else,” Willoughby said. “I would just hope that students here are willing and brave enough to admit their faults.”
Although accidents do happen and there are dangers, students still feel safe in the school parking lot.
“Even with some occasional speeding, I still feel safe walking around at Liberty. I know I’m not going to get hurt,” sophomore Jackson Wray said.
Next time you’re driving, remember the rules of the road and ensure the safety of your fellow students.
“Everybody is in hurry, but it’s not worth it,” safety officer Jon Kinsley said.