It seems as soon as 2:15 rolls around, Quail Valley Drive turns into Quail Valley Speedway. Once there is an inch of snow on the ground, every other church parking lot has some kid doing donuts. And every few days, you hear about another student that got into a car accident. Reckless driving is a universal issue, and it seems that Timpview is the focal point of it.

The effects of reckless driving are undeniable: tickets, damaged cars and danger to drivers and others on the road. We can see this at the school, with numerous accidents happening in the parking lot over the years.

So I looked into what compels students to drive recklessly, why they think it is acceptable and what it’s going to take to get them to stop. 

One anonymous junior said, “I love speeding through residential neighborhoods at 70+ miles per hour.” To him, reckless driving is justified because he only does it when he thinks it is safe. He puts it this way: “I drive recklessly occasionally when I believe there will be no bad repercussions to me or others.” Despite this, he has never been pulled over and does not plan on changing his ways anytime soon.

Another anonymous junior doesn’t claim to be a reckless driver, but will admit that he is “not the safest person ever, but [he is] good at driving.” He drives fast for the adrenaline rush, but justifies it by saying that it helps him “get places on time.” To him it’s not about the high speeds. He says that the funnest form of reckless driving is “drifting in the snow in private parking lots, away from any pedestrians.” He says that he has not been pulled over and doesn’t see himself hitting the brakes on his reckless driving habits anytime soon.

I talked with an anonymous junior that has had a change of heart when it comes to reckless driving. He says that he went from “passing [his] friends on the left side of the road going quadruple the speed limit,” to obeying all traffic laws. But what caused him to change his ways? In his words he was “pulled over for rolling a stop sign, and if I get pulled over again, I have to go to court.” But this won’t stop him entirely, as he told me that he is still planning on doing donuts once it snows.

So is reckless driving bad? Most certainly, but Timpview students are still pedal to the metal on it. Keeping our roads safe is something that individuals can do, so be responsible every time you get in that passenger seat. Stay safe T-Birds, and watch out for deer!