That may be an exaggeration, but an apt one at describing the actual level of stress created by Palmetto’s ludicrous traffic problem.

My friend Megan once told me she could crawl to school faster than her car inches forward in “the line.” Experiencing Palmetto traffic first-hand, I undoubtedly agree, especially when there is that occasional two-minute standstill and I end up watching students walk hundreds of feet in front of my car while I am stuck in my car’s driver’s seat.

All in all, the chaotic traffic situation makes as little sense as does not wearing a seatblt. But at least someone works on correcting this horrible, and daily, mess—right?

Wrong. Palmetto has had traffic issues longer than the people who are supposed to be in charge of this kind of stuff can remember —  a very long time. The overpopulation of Palmetto, as any sensible person should have observed, means more cars, and more cars means way too many problems.

Countless Panthers feel the frustration, and countless Panthers would be willing to help find a solution. But what exactly engenders Palmetto’s congestion?

Those definitely culpable: underclassmen that get dropped off smack-dab in front of Palmetto’s entrance. And the icing on the cake? The spots where their parents decide to stop always seem to coincidently block the entrance to the junior and senior lots, clogging the streets that pump hundreds of cars onward and, moreover, provoking Panthers.

And you can’t forget about those other annoyances —  the students who practice driving with their restricted to school; they put their cars in park at the center of high-volume traffic areas and do a switcheroo with their parent, all while I’m thrusting my head into my steering wheel with the thought of being late.

Would it really hurt to walk a couple of blocks and keep traffic flowing? Are students really as oblivious to the miles of traffic surrounding them as not to know to simply get dropped off a couple blocks down the street?

Many other tribulations exist, too – for one, half the gates to the junior and senior lots are rarely open in the  traffic-filled mornings. In other words, hundreds of students have to anxiously wait in blocks of seemingly interminable traffic to get through one cramped, single gate.

But the overwhelming logic behind the way we carry out these tasks does not stop there. After waiting in lines of traffic and stopping for the kids who cross wherever they feel like and slamming on my brakes to avoid collisions and squeezing my way through the parking lot gate and searching around the lot for my spot, it is indisputable – I’m going to be late.

Heck, a decorated individual of high esteem should be waiting, arms extended, eager to shake my hand; the hand of a student who has made it to school alive.

But no, rather, I receive one of (at this rate) many unexcused tardies.

And then there are those teachers who require their students to get an unexcused tardy pass just to enter their class late,  the tardiness resulting only from Palmetto’s chronic congestion.

Each incident may seem too petty to be of concern, but the bottom line stands clear as day — all of these issues add up. Fixing these problems can save Panthers valuable time and unnecessary heartache.

Palmetto offers a rigorous curriculum, funds many great sports teams, enforces its rules and regulations; our school is usually right on the ball. But when it comes to early morning transportation, specifically car-related, we lack both efficiency and rationality.