PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Courtney McClendon drives her daughter to and from Atlantic High School in Port Orange every morning.

• Mother worried about short turn lane on Clyde Morris Boulevard
• She says turn lane is so short that cars queue in opposite lanes
• Volusia agrees, says it will do study to decide if improvements needed

"She's 15," said McClendon with a smile. "She does not have her permit yet. I'm having her read the book."

Her daughter is currently working to get her learner's permit.

"I feel that it's so important, especially now that we teach our young drivers the correct way to drive," McClendon said.

McClendon is also concerned that when her daughter does get it, she'll be driving straight into dangerous conditions.

Her main issue: McClendon says the line to turn left from southbound Clyde Morris Boulevard onto eastbound Reed Canal Road gets so long that drivers start queuing in the northbound left turn lane on Clyde Morris that leads into her community.

For her, that creates a dangerous decision point: She can't turn left, so she basically has to block a lane herself to wait to turn.

"I've almost got into head-on collisions a couple of times," McClendon said.

It's not just her imagination: Crash records show that Port Orange Police have worked 56 wrecks within a third of a mile radius in the past five years. Almost 30 of those involved injuries.

Volusia County, which has control of Clyde Morris Boulevard, agrees that the turn lane isn't long enough. In fact, it plans to do a study — per our request late last year — in the area to decide whether safety or operational improvements are needed.

But it could be awhile before that happens. A county spokesperson said this particular study is 29th in a line of other similar studies. 

So far this year, the county has completed two. And once it starts, it will take 60 to 90 days to complete.

Because of the area's close proximity to Atlantic High, the county was waiting until school was back in session to conduct the study.

McClendon is excited for possible upgrades in the future, but she vows not to let up until she sees it herself.

"I drive to Atlantic High School every single day, twice a day," McClendon said. "If my daughter is learning to drive, I need her and of all her friends and everyone else to be safe. So I will continue to pursue this until something gets done."