| As I sat down
to read the paper last month, I found myself in tears while
reading the tragic story of the death of Ryan Sneed who went
to Centennial High School.
Sneed was driving a Jeep with his sister Samantha Sneed,
15, Lauren Ozawa, 14, Jade Ozawa, 15, and Emily McIntyre,
14, as passengers. Apparently the teens were "horsing
around" which caused Sneed to run a stop sign. Because
of Sneed’s "horsing around," he lost his life
and left three girls in critical condition and his sister
in fair condition.
This tragic story reminds me all too well of the crash on
May 9 when five girls from our own school lost control and
ran into a light pole. It breaks my heart to hear that another
school is having to deal with the death of a fellow classmate,
and that many students will mourn the loss of a dear friend.
I know that no one will forget the emotions they felt walking
through the halls of Las Vegas High School on May 10, knowing
that nothing would ever be the same.
Teenage vehicle fatalities in the last decade surpass the
entire death toll of the Vietnam War and are equal to one
Columbine massacre every day. Crashes are the leading killer
of teens 15 to 19, responsible for one in three deaths. According
to a report by USA Weekend, while death rates for drivers
of all ages declined 20 percent from 1975-96, and even dropped
for 17-19 year-olds, the rate nearly doubled for 16 year-olds,
now the riskiest drivers on the road.
So, as a school, how much longer will we stand for it? How
much longer will we sit back and watch our friends get injured
and die? Come 1:17 p.m., you can see hoards of teenagers tearing
out of the school parking lot, "trying" to hit pedestrians,
putting lives in danger. When are we going to stop being immature
and grow up? We always say we want more responsibility and
trust, when in reality we don’t deserve either.
I propose we stop putting ourselves and others in danger,
here and now. I challenge the students of Clark County high
schools to put an end to our irresponsible driving. Get the
courage to tell your friends to slow down. It could mean your
life. We think we are invincible, but take a hint from the
three teenagers who have died recently, you’re not.
You would think we would catch on as we watch our best friends,
siblings and cousins die, but we don’t. I say we make
an example to other schools that we know how to drive and
that we deserve responsibility and trust!
-Return to October 2002 Issue-
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