When the dismissal bell rings at 2:55 p.m. every day, students race to their cars in the parking lot. With limited roads to leave the school and major roads under construction, traffic fills Kingwood. Accidents and enraged drivers are commonplace.
With Houston and surrounding areas being consistently ranked among the worst U.S. cities to drive in, Kingwood has been a major traffic center for all drivers. In response, many high school students have been faced with the challenges of learning to drive in the Houston area.
“I feel like (the traffic) always builds by the end of the day,” said senior Izzy Sikora, who lives in Humble. “Obviously I drive all the way home, so if I have to come back, I have to drive through either Kingwood or North Park. It gets so unbelievably worse and I have to leave 45 minutes early just to get (anywhere) on time.”
TRAFFIC STRUGGLES
Recently, leaving the school has been an issue for Sikora, whose drive home can now take up to 35 minutes. Like many other students and staff members, Sikora takes Northpark Drive after school.
Since 2023, Northpark Drive has dealt with ongoing construction as the project to build an overpass over Loop 494 continues. As a result, some students will take shortcuts through neighborhoods, Hamblen Road and even Kingwood Drive.
Even though Kingwood Drive is not under construction, it hardly ever has light traffic. Kingwood’s population sits at around 65,000 people and traffic is always happening, especially at rush hour and school dismissals.
There are seven Humble ISD schools within a two-mile radius of Kingwood Park. With all the dismissal times being close together, pick-up lines cause back-ups that affect all traffic.
“Going down Kingwood Drive at the end of the school day, if I need to go near Town Center, is obviously always going to be an issue, because of Kingwood High School and Creekwood and Riverwood,” junior Emily Reid said. “All of them being located so close to each other, it makes a lot of traffic.”
HIGHWAY STRUGGLES
While traffic has caused issues for residents inside Kingwood, going on highways to leave the community has prompted even more struggles.
Although Sikora found a sense of freedom with driving, her own experience on highways in Houston have proven to be yet another challenge.
“I drive on the highway every single day of my life no matter where I want to go,” Sikora said. “I would say crazy people or like insanely slow people drive me nuts. Slow people always cause traffic and it takes me so long to get (to Kingwood).”
Recently, when driving home on the highway Sikora watched a Dodge Charger attempt to slip in between lanes to go through two cars, almost causing an accident. The near-accident isn’t unfamiliar to Houstonians who make the commute.
The Houston area alone has four out of seven of the deadliest stretches of road in Texas and I-45 has been ranked the most deadly road to drive on.
Major roads are already dangerous, but the constant construction brings distractions and difficulties.
“(Texas highways) are so big,” Reid said. “And there’s so much construction right now. I feel like that’s definitely a kind of distraction every time I’m driving.”
FINANCIAL STRUGGLES
Despite distractions, the financial burden of having a car can often be the biggest struggle for many students. As gas prices fluctuate and with insurance costs, many high school students have been forced to find jobs to pay the expenses.
“I pay for my own gas,” Reid said. “I paid for the entire car myself. I pay for my own insurance. Like everything for my car I pay myself. So, managing my money, especially as a high schooler (is difficult). I’m in a bunch of hard classes and I play soccer, so it’s a little hard to manage sometimes.”
Reid is among many students who pay for all or at least some part of their car maintenance.
Most students pay for their own gas. Even though Texas has some of the lowest gas prices on average, the expenses still add up.
“I drive a Toyota Camry,” said senior Samire Vasquez, who makes the daily commute from Conroe. “So, you know, shout out to Toyota Camrys, they’re really good on gas. I spend $25 and it’s 400 miles. It lasts me like $50 a week probably, but that’s still expensive.”
While many students have experienced the burden of the changing gas prices, others have learnt the long-term responsibility of dealing with car insurance.
Senior Anthony Henry started paying his own car insurance and learned the importance of dealing with his finances soon after getting his first car.
“It’s easier to start while you’re young before it gets too late and overwhelming,” Henry said. “That was my whole thought process behind, ‘will I be able to pay this bill in high school and what-not.’”
Although many students have found benefits to driving, challenges with driving in the Kingwood area have increased as traffic and congestion continues. While learning to drive in Kingwood has not been easy for a lot of students, many have still gotten their licenses to gain more freedom.
Learning to drive in Kingwood and around Houston is not easy. But those who are able to learn to maneuver the streets and highways nearby are often prepared for anywhere else they may want to travel.
“I feel like nobody really knows how to drive in Kingwood and it makes me so annoyed especially because I don’t live here,” Sikora said. “The traffic in and out of Kingwood is always terrible.”
