You Deserve the Ticket

Fast driving and safe driving can’t coexist. Check your speed.

Logan Davis

Lea Shweiki
January 20, 2023

B-CC is not exempt from the teen speeding epidemic. An anonymous B-CC senior admits that the fastest they have gone is 150 mph on the Dulles Toll Road, which, unsurprisingly, did not end ideally. When explaining the motive behind their heedless speed, they communicated that they were “competing against a BMW when a car pulled out in front, so [they] swerved into the opposite side of the road. Luckily, it was 11 p.m. and no one was on the other side of the road.”

This driver was extremely lucky. If there had been a singular car on the other side of the road, they would not have left unscathed. Approaching 100 mph with no valid justification is horrifying. Despite the young drivers’ bullish confidence, no one speeds with the expectation of things taking a turn for the worst, yet all it takes is one wrong move for a drive to end in disaster.

B-CC is located in a densely populated residential area. An anonymous East Bethesda resident and mom of three residing on Chelton Road shared her personal frustrations around the issue of speeding and the effect it has on her family. She distressfully communicated, “Each morning when I take my youngest daughter on a walk in her stroller, I find myself jumping out of the line of fire as cars zoom recklessly down my street.”

Despite the copious amounts of training designed to emphasize the importance of abiding by speed laws, young drivers persistently ignore the speed limits, racing through neighborhoods, school zones, and everywhere in between. The fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16- to 19-year-olds is nearly three times the rate for drivers ages 20 and over. Teen driving statistics reveal that every day, seven teenagers die in motor vehicle crashes, and many are injured.

Fortunately, this alarmingly high percentage can be lowered through education and awareness of the dangers that accompany reckless driving. Even if young drivers feel confident enough in their own driving abilities to justify their speed, many drivers are not equipped to respond to a speeding vehicle, one of the many reasons why these laws are in place. All it takes is one second to forever change the outcome of people’s lives.

Driving is a privilege, and you obtain your driver’s license based on the skills you have and the rules you agree to follow. Driving decisions should be made carefully, with a full understanding of the effects your choices have on not just yourself but the people around you. If we can promote the seriousness of this issue now, we can prevent unnecessary injuries and fatalities. Getting to class a few minutes after the bell is certainly worth it if you drove safely and protected lives.