Reckless driving at UW-Waukesha

     Everyone has experienced bad driving, whether it was his or her fault or someone else's. Learning from mistakes is what makes a good driver even better. There has been some pretty bad driving on campus, and quite frankly it's scary. Being careless while driving a vehicle is not only endangering your own safety but it also endangers the well being of others.

     Many on campus have noticed the terrible driving. One student, Colin Raupp, has had a few close encounters. "The worst case of driving I have encountered was when I almost got ran over. I was walking to my car; on the crosswalk mind you, and this car came flying right at me. In attempt to save myself I sprinted and literally dove onto the grass median. The crazy part is that the driver didn't even notice me, I couldn't tell what they were doing exactly, but I knew it was something distracting enough to not see a person walking right in front of them."

     Fellow student, Pete Chaiyakiart, also has an almost tragic story too. "I just finished school for the day and I was walking to lot six, where I park. I started walking across the road when I heard a car, so I turned to look, just to be safe. And there was a car speeding down the road coming right at me, it was going so fast that I had to actually run back to the sidewalk. I couldn't believe that I was almost ran over, and that really made me think about my life and just how ignorant the driver of that car was."

     Most people are tempted to and sometimes use things that distract us while driving. Even though little things like texting and picking what song to listen to doesn't seem like a big deal, they can make a huge difference between safe and unsafe driving. In that split second, a deer, vehicle, or, in Pete's and Colin's cases, a person could go in front of your vehicle. Will you have enough time to react? Not only can you injure yourself, but you can injure or even kill someone. Next time you want to send out a quick text or pick the next song, either do it before you start the car up, or don't do it at all. If people follow these simple rules, the roads would be a lot safer, and catastrophic incidents could be avoided, because driving is one of the most dangerous things we do.