As the bell rings, crowds of students rush out of their classrooms, creating stampedes in the parking lots. Starting her car, junior Keerthi Raj attempts to back out. She slows down, being cautious of the hoards of students in the area, and finds herself stuck between a never-ending line of cars turning onto Churchill Avenue.

After getting her license midway through her sophomore year, Raj has been driving to school.

“A lot of people drive or are driven to Paly, and (the parking lot) is usually packed, but relatively safe,” Raj said. “People can be aggressive when they want to get somewhere fast, which sometimes makes leaving Paly difficult or scary because people will cut you off.”

Math teacher Zachary Barnes said he has firsthand experience with the chaos of Paly drivers and parking lots.

“I was walking to my car one day and as I got closer, I saw someone scratch my car as they drove by,” Barnes said. “It didn’t affect me too much because my car is pretty old, and the person didn’t stop anyway, but it definitely happens a lot in the parking lots here because of how packed they are.”

Although the incident with Barnes was a parent, many new student drivers also drive to school. As a new driver, Raj follows her parents’ guidelines.

“I can’t drive after 12 a.m. unless it’s an emergency, and I can only have four passengers in the car, so no cramming people in,” Raj said. “My parents don’t want me to speed, and they want me to be a defensive driver. Otherwise, they don’t mind if I take the car out.”

Though Raj’s parents set family rules, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, minors are issued a provisional license with more specific restrictions. During the first 12 months of possessing a license, provisional drivers cannot drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and can’t have passengers under 20 years old, unless accompanied by by someone who has a driver’s license and is over the age of 25.

According to the DMV, there would have been a 13.7% increase in fatalities and injuries if provisional licenses hadn’t been implemented.

Yet, junior Kensie Pao said many students ignore these restrictions.

“It is very common for students to drive other students with their provisional license,” Pao said. “I would say most people who get their license will drive someone illegally within the first week of having their license, and you see it happening every day. Some people even drive without their license.”

Similarly, senior Tyler Kramer said that many students drive their friends, often during school hours.

“Almost everyone I know drives minors with their provisional license,” Kramer said. “I think Paly’s driving culture is heavily influenced by the fact that we have an open campus and how close we are to nearby restaurants like Chipotle and Panda Express.”

Although Pao does not have her license, she often gets rides from her licensed friends.

“If there’s an event that I have to go to, for example my sports practices, and my parents can’t take me, my friends take me even though it’s usually illegal,” Pao said. “If we are going somewhere for fun, they will also drive me illegally. Having your license is really helpful.”

While driving friends with a provisional license is illegal, Raj said it’s not uncommon or too serious.

“Many people illegally drive their friends, but I don’t think it’s as big of a deal because my friends don’t distract me when I’m driving,” Raj said.

Although Kramer agrees, he has gotten in a few accidents, including two fender benders.  As a result, he has come to think that fewer people should be driving to school.

“I think it’s unfortunate that so many people drive to school — it creates a lot of traffic and accidents,” Kramer said. “Palo Alto gives us a lot of access through other forms of transportation, for example, bike paths and sidewalks to walk on.”

Pao has similar ideas, regardless of the fact that she is illegaly driven by her friends.

“I do think there should be more sensitivity around driving people illegally,” Pao said. “Even though my friends drive me, they are really safe drivers, and I only let someone drive me that I completely trust. I think there is a practicality to it which destigmatizes it, but people still need to be aware of who they let drive them.”