Driving to school can be stressful, annoying, and tiring. Most of us have been driven to school our whole lives by our mother, father or sibling. The difference is that now that we’ve gotten older and acquired driving permits and licenses, it is now our responsibility to get ourselves to school on time and in one piece. Whether it’s traffic, bad drivers, or the urge to fall asleep, driving to school can be a daunting task.
The length of the commute is a very important factor. Longer commutes tend to exhaust and annoy any driver regardless of age. Sitting in your vehicle for an extended amount of time can make you restless and irritable; these emotions lead to drivers making risky, dangerous decisions. These scenarios, linked with the fact that teenage drivers are proven to be the most reckless, can end very badly for students trying to get to school. Lengthy commutes can also negatively affect a student’s sleep and overall well being. According to hopskipdrive.com, “…every extra minute of a student’s morning commute, the average respondent lost 1.3 additional minutes of sleep. Active time was even more likely to be slashed by a long commute. What’s more, the study found that students with commutes under half an hour and those hailing from higher-income houses found more time to exercise, indicating that students with more resources have more time overall to enjoy physical activity, get adequate rest and practice self-care.” This study has shown that many factors can impact the productivity of drivers, including a unnecessarily long commute.
Students with shorter commutes can also be affected by other obstacles on their way to school. Jacky Cordova, Don Lugo Senior, has a problem with some of the drivers she shares the road with, “Sometimes, when I’m trying to get to school, it’s just so annoying dealing with slow or bad drivers. Like I understand trying to be safe and careful, but it feels more like they’re just falling asleep.” She explained to me that this frustrates her to a point that it can potentially ruin her morning. “If I wake up, and I’m not in the best mood or I’m maybe even just a little tired, and then I have to deal with a bad drive to school, I’m definitely not going to be in the best mood.” This is a very common opinion of high school drivers as being behind the wheel can be extremely stressful, especially for those who also have to drive their siblings as well.
Personally, I tend to hit traffic in the morning and on my way home from school. It definitely affects my mood and sometimes even my day. I’ve even almost gotten into some pretty heated altercations with other frustrated and exhausted drivers. This not only makes the commute tiring, but also very dangerous. Even gas can be an issue for students trying to save money or without a job. I believe the silver lining is that these obstacles we face in high school help prepare us for the rest of our adult lives, but they can also be very detrimental to a students well being, energy, and safety.
