Drivers ed starts this week, and so the freedom to drive will be, in time, handed over to me.

But the feeling of liberty is clouded by the feeling of responsibility and fear. Driving is undoubtedly dangerous, something we should all know not only from adults trying to scare us, but from first-hand experience as either a driver or passenger.

Probably most of us, as high school students, have been both witness to reckless drivers and in the company of one. It’s evident that many teenagers find speeding to be a great way to vent and a lot of fun, but I’ve always found it terrifying.

My hit-and-run accident last year just made my fear of cars, as a passenger, pedestrian, and future driver, stronger. I’ve realized just how dangerous cars are, and how each driver has a huge responsibility toward driving safely.

When people decide to drive recklessly they aren’t just making a decision for themselves and putting their safety at risk, but they are making a decision for everyone else on the road with them and any pedestrians present. Therefore I find reckless driving to be an incredibly selfish act.

It seems that people have trouble seeing reckless driving as a huge concern unless they have experienced the damage it can have on individuals. But then it’s too late, isn’t it? An accident has already happened; someone has already suffered from bad judgment, whether it be their own or someone else’s.

While educators already work hard to better the driving situation, it still remains a huge problem. It also is something that cannot go ignored. Communities need to be doing all they can because it is an issue that costs lives.