WOODBURY — Students and staff members who drive to Nonnewaug were surprised April 28 to encounter several new speed bumps in the parking lots, and their installation was met with strong reactions.

“This morning when I came to school early, I was driving into the driveway when all of the sudden I hit this speed bump and it rocked the living you-know-what out of my truck,” Nonnewaug junior Kayden Guillet said.

The speed bumps were installed Wednesday afternoon between the end of the school day and the start of the softball game. Crews worked quickly to install two new speed bumps, one right before entering the senior parking lot and the other directly before the speed sign in the back of the school. It is not known at this time if more will be installed in the coming weeks. 

“I didn’t know it was happening [so soon], so it threw me and probably everyone else off this morning,” said Marisa Bedron, the equine science teacher.

“We would not have needed to put in the speed bumps if everyone just slowed down and drove the speed limit,” said Brian Boccio, the head custodian at NHS.

Bedron agreed: “I think people did drive fast through the existing speed bumps.”

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, speed bumps have shown a 40% speed reduction among drivers. They also prevent accidents caused by speeding such as hitting pedestrians or other objects.

However, student drivers are concerned with the condition their cars will be in by the end of the school year. 

“I went very slowly over the [new speed bump] and I scraped the bottom of my car,” said Ryan Wicklund, a junior. 

Speed bumps can cause a lot of damage to cars including ruining the suspension system, blown tires, damage to the steering wheel mounts, and damage to the exhaust system, according to advancedautocare.com. 

“I noticed people were hitting their oil pans [as they went over the bump] because the bottom of their cars were scratching the bump,” added Guillet. 

“My suspension will be destroyed by the end of the year,” added Michael LaFauci, a junior.

With many students driving old, used cars, the wear and tear of simply going over a speed bump at 5 mph could cost them and their families thousands of dollars. 

Changes to vital infrastructure such as the roads around the school just don’t happen without a valid reason. Many people, including staff, parents, and students were not following the rules of the road before the installation.

The hope from the NHS administration is that these will teach everyone to drive the posted speed limit around campus, which is 10 mph.