GREAT job Claire Glossa! ONE LOVE

Claire Glossa Term Paper Due: 30 April 2013 Reckless Driving: Is it really worth it? Reckless driving is defined as an “operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding (or going too fast for the conditions, even though within the posted speed limit), driving after drinking , having too many passengers in the car, cutting in and out of traffic, failing to yield to other vehicles, and other negligent acts.” (thefreedictionary.com) Reckless driving, as many people know, is very dangerous and harms many people in several different ways. Many people have lost licenses which prohibits them to drive, been seriously injured, paralyzed or even killed because of reckless driving. When teenagers get behind the wheel, many parents worry that reckless driving will occur with their children. Personally, I have experienced reckless driving in my own car and unfortunately I had a friend that was killed because of his poor driving decisions. After being pulled over for speeding once before myself and then hearing the awful story of my friend’s death, I always think twice before speeding and make sure, I, in the words that I live by, “Slow Down”. Reckless driving is most popularly noticed in drivers that speed. When adolescents are speeding and weaving in and out of traffic, at some point or another, unfortunately, there will be a car crash. Many people, teenagers especially, seem to have the mentality that they are invincible. They hear and see all these tragic events happen to people on television and in the news but they never believe it can happen to them. The American trend seems to be that people will not listen to advice, rules or laws about important matters until it is directly affecting them. The teen motor vehicle crash and fatality rate for adults twenty-five years and up has nearly doubled. A recent survey for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was also taken for teen drivers, and sixty percent say that they are most likely to pass others on the highway when driving instead of being passed by other drivers. In the same survey for the NHTSA, sixty-seven percent of all teenagers have kept up with the cars in the fast lane in heavy traffic . Another recent study shows that mainly males have been falling-asleep at the wheel which continues to increase the crash rate. The seat belt is probably the most important feature in a car. Many teens have reported that they do not wear their seat belts. Nearly one quarter of all teen crashes occur from reckless driving which includes speeding and drunk driving and the vast majority of these accidents are single vehicle crashes. Many surveys today show that teens are most likely to be the number one cause of crashes and more are becoming significantly injured because they are involved in reckless driving. Reckless driving is one of the highest traffic violations. Statistics show that men are in a higher category for reckless driving than women with a ratio of 3.41 to 1. When it comes to men versus women in car crashes, men are dominant for the age group of 16-19. This shows that many teenagers who recklessly drive have a high percentage of crashing. The crash rate for men during reckless driving is 9.2 compared to females which is 5.3. These statistics are for every 100 miles that are traveled by drivers of the age of 16-19. The rate for drivers who are older is dramatically lower. Those who are 20-29 years of age, have an average crash rate of about 3.0. Which means, that the crash rate for males is 4.0 and the crash rate for females is 2.0. As these statistics show, the rate is always higher when it comes to males drivers. In my research, I have found that many teens do not care that they are reckless drivers. As I drive down the highway when I am going the speed limit, I notice many teenagers going about 15 miles per hour faster than me. This shows that they obviously do not care about the speed limit or the what consequences they would have to face if an accident was to suddenly occur due to their driving. I usually like to look into the car to see what is so important that would make a person drive at such a high rate of speed, and it is simply, nothing. I wonder, is it really worth it to go that fast on the road, when I will arrive in the same location at the same time, and going the appropriate speed limit instead of going eighty miles per hour? Teenagers just feel the need for speed! I decided to interview my good friend, Lynn Riordan, who lost her 18 year old son to a car crash while dangerously driving. On May 23rd, 2009, Matthew Picciuto was driving down Totoket Road in North Branford with his two friends in his backseat and he had the need for speed. He was driving down a windy, country road and decided to “catch some air” on a hill, going about 80 mph, flipped his car and crashed into a tree. Not only did he total his car, but he injured his two passengers. The impact of the crash was so severe, Matt died on impact. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors and nurses tried desperately to save his life, but there was nothing else they could do to save him. His license plate was 523-KPZ. He would always say “k pce” to his friends when hanging up the phone or leaving to go somewhere. Matt was a big fan of Bob Marley and he is who we think of when a Bob Marley songs comes on, especially, “One Love”. His favorite song was “One Love” and when he died, the principal at my high school played that song over the loud speaker in his memory. His mom and step-dad, Mark Riordan, also played that music at the wake to have a significant memory of him in his honor. He was one month away from graduating high school when this devastating accident occurred. In Matt’s yearbook, he said that he wanted to to go to college, get a job, get married, have children, make a difference and live an interesting life. In our town, his wish came true because he is making a difference. His mother established a non profit organization called “Matt’s Mission Fund” after the death of her son in 2009 and every year she gives scholarships to graduating seniors from our high school. I was one of the eight students in my graduating class to receive the Matt Picciuto Scholarship, and I could not be more proud to be selected for such an honorable scholarship. Every year we have an annual 5K road race that honors him and to further make his dream of making a difference come true. The road race is not only a fun event with great food and live music, but a great way for the community to all come together every year and help raise money for a tremendous cause. For my research, I decided to interview Lynn because she is a fabulous mother for making her son’s dreams come true and a role model for myself and many others. I felt that she would be a good advocate for this because she has gone through the pain and the emotions about reckless driving. She always volunteers her time to give back to the community by speaking to driving school classes and telling parents and their teenage children about the horrific affects reckless driving can have on a person. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get the message out to as many people as she possibly can. Lynn puts out a great presentation when speaking to classes and I believe she is truly getting through to people with her heart wrenching story. She brings tears to peoples’ eyes when she tells Matt’s story which makes people stop and think about their actions. In addition to Lynn’s speaking and the vast amount of fundraising she does, she also has made signs that blanket the town of North Branford; this year the signs read “NO NEED TO SPEED”. Also, every year at the 5k road race, each runner receives a t-shirt and a bracelet that reads, “SLOW DOWN FOR MATT PICCIUTO”. In my interview I asked Lynn, “What would be your words of advice to a teenager who wants to get behind the wheel and drive recklessly?” She replied in the following: “The choices you make today could affect you for the rest of your life. Damages to your car equals higher insurance rates. If you are unlucky enough to get into an accident you could potentially get hurt or hurt someone else. Try to imagine living the rest of your life in a wheel chair or knowing that your destructive driving decision put someone else there.” (Riordan) She also said which I feel is very important in this issue. “I would say heaven is forever! Imagine the pain you would cause your family if you died or what you and another family would live with if you killed someone else.” (Riordan) And lastly, “The consequences of destructive driving will last a lifetime.” (Riordan) These answers show that Lynn truthfully cares about every teenager on the road who is recklessly driving. She had to go through the pain and she does not want any other family to have to go through what she did. She worries deeply about the actions that go on in our small town of North Branford and wants to make a change! When referring to reckless driving, the American Dream can easily be compared. James Truslow Adams, the author of The Epic of America, written in 1931, states that the American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. Some say the American Dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity, however, others look toward a new American Dream with less focus on financial gain and more emphasis on living a simple, fulfilling life. I believe the American dream relates to reckless driving because everyone strives everyday their entire lives to reach their goals and to prosper, however, when people choose to drive recklessly, they are potentially ruining their dreams of a “simple, fulfilling life”. As noted previously, not only does reckless driving affect the specific driver, but families, friends and others involved as well. One persons’ foolish decision to drive recklessly can destroy their dreams and the dreams of many more. Many people who decided to drive recklessly tend to only be thinking in the present and about themselves and not about their bright futures or what a tragic accident can do to many peoples’ lives. In conclusion, reckless driving is defined as an “operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding, driving after drinking , having too many passengers in the car, cutting in and out of traffic, failing to yield to other vehicles, and other negligent acts.” This is a serious issue in our nation that I feel needs to have more attention. There are too many lives being taken from young and old people who still have more of their life to live. I ask myself, what is it going to take to make people understand the severity of this issue and to start making smarter decisions. Your life is too precious and valuable to not be safe in your own car or someone else’s. I know I will think twice before driving recklessly and I hope I can lead by example for other young drivers for the future. The ratio of young teenage driving accidents is increasing everyday as we read and hear about it on the news. Learning the statistics and facts on this country wide problem has taught me a valuable lesson so I can take one step closer to achieving the American Dream. Works Cited: "Reckless Driving." E-mail interview. 1 Mar. 2013. "Male and Female Driving Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. Statistic Brain., 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. Hennessey, Dwight A. Traffic Psychology: An International Perspective. n.p.: Nova Science Publishers, 2011. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 18. April 2013. Gruber, Jonathon. Risky Behavior Among Youths: An Economic Analysis. n.p.: University of Chicago Press, 2001. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 18 Apr. 2013. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. "Department of Motor Vehicles." Department of Motor Vehicles. State of Connecticut, 2002. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. Billington, James H. "The American Dream." (Library of Congress). The Library of Congress, 1832. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.