These devastating incidents are occurring too often to be ignored. School should be a safe place for learning, inside and outside. Since the pandemic chronic absenteeism has spiked and while student attendance is improving rates have not fully returned to normal pre-pandemic levels.

Accidents with the safety of kids could be something holding parents back from sending their kids to school. This should be of deep importance to us as we try to get attendance rates back to normal. While precautions are in place I think we can do more to ensure that kids are safe getting to and from school.

In a recent survey, ABC4 News report found that 3 in 10 Utah drivers surveyed said that nobody drives the speed limit. This is a problem when the difference from 20 mph to 30 mph takes the risk of severe injury from 10% to a whopping 50%. Speed is essential as the human body can only handle a certain amount of sudden stopping force without tearing or breaking.

Now we know this is a problem but what do we do about it? As a driver myself, I believe the best way to slow drivers down is speed bumps. Installing speed bumps in drop off lanes helps ensure our drivers are driving the speed limit and avoiding any avoidable accidents.

Speed bumps can encourage drivers to slow down and makes it harder to go through a drop-off area at excessive speeds. With these precautions in place we would be able to reduce school zone accidents and lower the intensity of the injuries caused by these accidents.

I hope we can all understand the severity of this problem and be able to implement a solution soon.

Ellie Greenwood is a high school student from Lehi.