August 14, 2025
School parking lots are more than just spaces to pick up and drop off students. Often, paved areas outside of school buildings double as dedicated play areas and as informal places for students to gather and socialize.
However, these shared spaces pose serious safety concerns due to their proximity to major thoroughfares and easy points of access. They are ripe not only for accidents, but also vehicle-borne attacks — also known as vehicles as weapons (VAW) incidents. (We have seen a number of recent VAW incidents, including the terrorist attack in New Orleans earlier this year, which claimed the lives of 14 victims.)
Whether it’s from an intentional attack or an accidental mishap, parking lots can be dangerous. According to the National Safety Council, an average of 50,000 crashes happen in parking lots and garages every year, causing more than 60,000 injuries and 500 deaths.
At Tomahawk Strategic Solutions, we believe that many of these risks can be mitigated by thoughtful design and emergency protocols, which can keep children from getting hurt.
Streamline access: Establish a secure parking lot perimeter
Unlike school buildings, parking lots often contain zero barriers to entry. To better protect everyone, a school district should consider these measures:
- Electronic Gates: Install features that control access to parking lots remotely.
- Design Flaws: Reduce the amount of two-way traffic and entry/exit points through additional barriers and traffic-calming techniques.
- Patrols: Assign staff to regularly walk the parking lot, creating a regular presence for surveillance and safety.
- Limited Access: Keep vehicle gates closed during student gatherings and other major events.
While implementing these changes, coordinate with the local fire department and law enforcement to ensure compliance with safety codes.
Visibility: Know the rules, detect the threats
The speed at which cars enter and exit a parking lot can be high, particularly when they’re located along highly trafficked roads. Consider some of these strategies for mitigating this risk:
- New Signage: Evaluate and improve signs in the lot, so that speed limits and drop-off zones are crystal clear.
- Environmental Design: Establish clear lines of sight from inside the building to the parking lot, through landscaping and other architectural interventions, allowing for easy surveillance and interventions.
- Parking Decals: Mandate tags or stickers for any vehicle entering the lot, ensuring that any unauthorized vehicles are promptly recognized.
Student safety should never be compromised by convenience. It’s time to put stronger, smarter safeguards in place.
Invest: Tools for preparedness
Beyond targeted threats, there’s the risk of unintentional harm to a child, especially from driver error. To share knowledge about those risks and plan around them, schools would be wise to utilize:
- Security Training: All staff should be equipped with emergency management skills, allowing them to detect threats and respond swiftly.
- Awareness Trainings: Students and staff alike should be trained in spatial and situational awareness to help them navigate parking lots safely.
- Mass Notification Systems: Much like an Amber Alert or severe weather warning, having a system in place to deter parents and children from entering the lot in the event of a threat can save lives.
- Cameras: Establish video cameras to deter rule-breaking and provide accountability in the event of a mishap.
It’s important to remember: Hope is not a strategy. Preparation is.
Ensure your parking lots are safe zones
With rising concerns over vehicle-borne attacks (VAW) and distracted driving, it’s crucial for school districts to reassess how their parking lots are used and protected.
At Tomahawk, we can help you analyze the existing risks of your parking lots — along with other safety concerns present in your organization — and generate an action plan for the future. We specialize in realistic tools, developed by an expert team of security professionals.
When it comes to emergencies, the best time to plan was yesterday, and the next best time is right now. Contact us today to learn more about how our tools can keep your students and staff safe.
English 
Danish