It starts with bending the rules a little bit.
“You have to be aggressive and assertive,” says Ian Spry, 17, of Ames, Iowa, an Ames High School student who is renowned among the community as the master of getting out of the parking lot early. Spry has been practicing his technique ever since he started driving to school at the end of sophomore year, perfecting it and gaining a lot of valuable experience along the way.
First, you must be aggressive. Sometimes, you even have to give up your friendly manner toward other people and even slightly bend the traffic laws. “People will wait in line, wait for the buses to pass, wait for pedestrians and other traffic for too long, and get stuck. You gotta take shortcuts and not let people in front of you,” Spry advises. Take charge of your situation, and make yourself the center of attention. Do not pay too much attention to others, as you try to get to yourself on time. A little assertion goes a long way in reaching your destination without wasting too much time.
Spry’s quest to become more efficient at getting out of the parking lot after school stemmed from a day when he was late for a sports practice after school. He realized he could utilize his aggressive driving habits to benefit him from making it to a destination on time. “As I want to get to athletic practices quickly, sometimes I need to use my qualities of an aggressive driver to my advantage,” said Spry.
Getting out of the parking lot can be a valuable skill to have. Many students have after-school activities, such as sports practices or clubs that meet outside of school grounds right after school dismisses. Instead of wasting time by sitting in traffic in the parking lot and taking the risk of being late to practice, having the skill of tactical maneuvering out of the parking lot and getting to activities on time would be very useful. Having a little bit of extra time to do homework or relax would be better than sitting in a car as well. “When I started driving home from school, I’d get home around 30 minutes after school ended. Now, I get home 15 minutes from when school dismisses,” Spry says.