By Jordan Machado
Drivers from the ages of 18-24 love when warm and nice weather comes around. They are able to have some fun while driving a car, which always isn’t the best. Driving faster than speed limit might have consequences: you could be pulled over, ticketed or, worst, you could be in a car accident.
Millersville Borough and Penn Manor high school both have a very important person on their team and that is Officer Jason Hottenstein. He has been a police officer for 17 years total and 12 of those, the school resource officer.
Officer Hottenstein explained that drivers seem to get pedal happy and want to see what their car is able to do. Police officers aren’t on the lookout for speeding in spring more than they are all year due to not having any major highways or roads in this area.
One out of five drivers has excuses as to why they speed according to National Highway Traffic Safety Association:
- They’re in a hurry.
- They’re inattentive to their driving.
- They don’t take traffic laws seriously; rules don’t apply to them.
- They don’t view their driving behaviors as dangerous.
- They don’t expect to get caught.
“Everyone likes to play their music, let their hair flow in the wind, talk on the phone and have friends in the car and seem to forget how fast they may be going which leads to accidents,” said Officer Hottenstein.
According to an organization called Outreach to Save Lives, an average of 36 percent of speeders are teens/young adults ages 16-25, 23 percent are adults from 26-45, 12 percent are adults ages 46-63, which leaves 29 percent to emergency vehicles responding to an emergency.
Junior Donald McMillan admits to speeding.
“Teens are very easily distracted and does lead us forgetting how fast we are pressing the gas pedal. To be honest, I know I’ve done it before,” said junior McMillan.
Senior Hannah Henegar said that she knows speeding can be an issue.
“I do speed when I’ve had a long day at practice from softball or a game. I get tired and want to be able to relax,” said Henegar. “I haven’t been stopped yet and hope I never will. As I myself feel that I am a good driver, I understand anything at anytime can go wrong.”