Parents across the country are bracing for one of the most aggravating back-to-school rituals: the drop-off and pick-up lane.
The rules are usually simple. Pull all the way forward. Have children ready to get out. Use the designated unloading area. Keep crosswalks clear. Don't cut the line, double-park or stop in a traffic lane.
And once the goodbye is said, move along.
Still, the car line has a way of making otherwise reasonable adults forget everything they know about driving, patience and waiting their turn.
Schools and parent groups have tried everything from repeated safety reminders to volunteers wearing traffic-cone costumes and holding meme-inspired signs telling drivers to pull forward.
Some communities have redesigned crosswalks, added barriers or changed parking rules to address congestion and safety concerns.
But almost every school seems to have at least one driver who bypasses the line, stops wherever it is most convenient, holds up traffic for an extended farewell or ignores the staff member trying to direct vehicles.
For Block Talk, Patch's exclusive neighborhood etiquette column, we want to hear what happens at your school.
What behavior causes the most frustration in the drop-off or pick-up lane? What unwritten rules should every parent know? Have you seen drivers, school employees or volunteers come up with a particularly smart way to keep the line moving?
And what is the worst — or best — behavior you've witnessed in the school car line?
Fill out the survey below. Patch does not collect email addresses.
Block Talk is an exclusive Patch series on neighborhood etiquette — and readers provide the answers. If you have a topic you'd like us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com with "Block Talk" as the subject line.
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