A lot of Diablo Valley College students are still in a rush to find the best parking space, and some even go to extreme measures to make sure they get their spot.

As noted in a recent Police Beat, a student was confronted, spat on, threatened and followed in her vehicle for a short time on campus over a parking space. Another student was bumped by a driver who wanted to park in the space they were standing in.

There are many different beliefs on why parking lot situations have been hectic lately.

Alina Ramirez, a DVC student, believes that backed up traffic due to construction around campus plays a part in the parking lot rage.

“It’s really, really hard because a lot of people do get pissed off easily,” Ramirez said. “They’ll start honking their horn and yell at you through their window, telling you to get out. I’ve had that before.”

Other students, like Alec Ergin, suppose supply is the reason why the parking lot can get intense.

“There’s not enough parking spots probably. That’s one of the main problems,” Ergin said.

DVC Police Lt. Ryan Huddleston wrote via email that parking on campus throughout the district can be a challenge early in the semester. On occasion people can and have become frustrated, but road rage is not something that police see often. Often times students and guests want to park as close to their classes as possible and at times they could be running late which may cause them to increase their speeds.

The urge to find a parking spot can end up with drivers parking in drop off areas, staff parking and even motorcycle-only spots.

Huddleston also wrote, if police were able to identify the responsible parties, they would file a report with the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office. If the bumpers and spitters were students, they could have been referred to the dean for possible violations of the student code of conduct.

To calm the storm of the lots, DVC’s website’s parking policy advises students to arrive at school extra early to avoid the madness and be able to easily find a spot.

DVC Police Chief Ed Carney wrote via email that while parking lot aggression is rare, students far too often spend more time driving around the lot to find a convenient spot when it would be faster and far less frustrating to go to an underutilized lot and walk a few extra steps across campus. It reduces frustration and the walk is good for our health and frame of mind.