Let’s face it: the parking lot brings out the worst in everyone. At 2:20,  it becomes a conundrum of road rage and inexperienced drivers in a hostile race to get home. But the reality of the student parking lot is that everyone has the same goal: to get out. So instead of cursing someone who has the right of way for not letting you out, why not take a quick lesson in some parking lot etiquette?

First and foremost, please get off your phone. Sure, being in charge of the aux is a huge responsibility, but so is driving. Not to mention, the majority of people of the people around you have have little driving experience. “The highlight of my mornings is watching people try to back in,” says junior Jessica Garcia. “You can tell they have no idea what they’re doing and it’s so entertaining.”

Being aggressive in the parking lot is a must, but getting arbitrarily close to everyone around you is not. “There are so many annoying drivers that don’t pay attention to what they’re doing,” said junior Ashlyn Jarvis. If you really loved your car, you’d give it some space. Not to mention, it’s a great precautionary practice. If someone rear-ends you and there’s less than a centimeter of space between you and the person in front of you, the domino effect begins. Now your car is in the shop and your insurance rate increases and mommy and daddy say you can’t drive anymore. What a tragedy. And it all could have been prevented with a little space.

Speaking of space, no one owns a specific parking space. You want a certain spot? Get here early enough to take it then. If someone parks in “your” spot, that’s unfortunate. Get over it. It’s a parking spot and there are more important things in life than where you parked on September 16th of your senior year. Sure, it’s aggravating not getting the parking spot that’s convenient for you, but that’s life.

The parking lot is a confusing mess of honking, hostility, and headbanging (partially from the music and partially from the frustration). Many of the misunderstandings that occur can be fixed with one special mechanism: the blinker. Believe it or not, every single car has one– even yours! It’s simple: that long lever on the left side of your steering wheel lets people know where you intend on going before you actually go with a simple flick of the wrist. Those blinking lights are super helpful for the people around you because they’ll know exactly where you intend on going.

It’s only natural for a parking lot of teens to be a stressful, unfriendly environment. However, with a few manners and a quick “Rules of the Road” refresher, you can class up the student parking lot.