Whether in a rush to get to class before the tardy bell, or in an even bigger hurry to lose sight of the building at the end of the day, cases of student speeding in the parking lot have gotten out of control. However, with no speed limit sign posted, many students are unaware they are doing anything wrong.

This raises many concerns about parking lot safety, and administrators are starting to crack down. If a student is caught speeding, they could be given a fine up to $500.

“Some days I just go outside with my radar gun and I just stand there,” School Resource Officer Mark Mitchell said. “If we catch a student speeding in the parking lot, it all varies on how fast they were driving, and their attitude. If they have a bad attitude I will just hand them over to the assistant principals, and the ticket price varies.”

Assistant Principal Chris Mayfield expects students to maintain a safe driving pace whether a sign is posted or not.

“There is not one posted but the safe driving speed is 5 to 10 miles per hour, somewhere on that range,” Mayfield said. “Once you get on the outside edges where there is a steady flow of traffic, that’s where the speed limit will increase.”

Because the official speed limit is not widely known, some students view parking lot rules as situational.

Administrators want the students to take these rules seriously, and will hopefully look into getting a sign so the rules and consequences will be understood by all.

“When students speed in the parking lot, you could lose your parking privileges or we can handle it with some detention or others things depending on the severity of the number of times it happens,” Mayfield said.