Written by Amber Rivera / Staff Writer
Junior Mercedes Lopez was getting into the car after a long day at school when suddenly her car jolted forward and she realized she had just been hit.
“I was really scared, but thankfully no one was injured,” said Lopez. “Getting into an accident was life changing because now I hate driving.”
A car is a wonderful gift, a big privilege, and an even greater responsibility. Most high school students who have their license will be able to drive their own car or the family car. The question is, do students who have nicer cars drive more recklessly, and what do other students think about this?
“I carpool with my friend to school, and I do not see the difference in driving between the students with nicer cars or less expensive ones,” said junior Rachel Shapiro.
Some people may see expensive, very nice looking cars in Bishop Amat’s parking lot. However, most of the cars are common vehicles such as Honda Civics, Toyota Camrys and minivans. When asked about their thoughts on the students who drive expensive cars, students had various opinions.
“To be honest whenever I see a student with a cool looking car,” said sophomore Gigi Munoz. “I assume they are the ones who hit pedestrians just like what happened a few months ago.”
Typically, young adolescents who drive nicer cars, are shown in studies that they were the ones who convinced their parents to buy the extravagant car for them. Although we may never know the reason for this, the students who drive these nice cars may have a different opinion.
“Even though I have a nice car, I actually tend to drive more safely because I don’t want to damage it,” said junior Mary Suehrstedt, who drives a blue ‘68 Chevrolet Chevelle.
The legal age in California to be eligible for a driver’s license is 16 years old. So, most 16 year olds who are behind the wheel are going to be the most prone to accidents and breaking the law. According to some statistics from Allstate Insurance, new teen drivers in general are the most reckless.
16-year-olds are proven to have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.
Drivers must remember to stay cautious on the roads, and try their best to keep each other informed on the dangerous lifestyle that is driving.
“We have a security guard to make sure the students drive safely and we trust they will,” said Mrs. Ivette Salcedo.
Overall, students who don’t drive very expensive cars usually believe that the ones who do, are the reckless drivers. In the end, the car doesn’t matter, it is the person behind the wheel who is making the decisions. But the type of car may intrigue the driver to drive more carefully, or the complete opposite, and in turn create a hazard on the roads.