DON’T BE THE CAUSE: 

1 MOMENT, 1 LIFE 

Written by Hannah Niederriter                                                                                                                                                                        5/17/19

DON’T BE THE CAUSE: 1 MOMENT, 1 LIFE

It is not easy to comprehend the severity of crashing a car, at least, not until a mangled automobile is presented before you. Seeing a common form of transportation in such a contorted, damaged way really brings about considerations of such a horrible event occurring to you or someone you love. 

People often stress the importance of driving safely, but without witnessing the severity of the consequences from reckless driving, it simply appears as another warning that most choose to ignore. Statistics can fly over the heads of teenagers and adults alike. 

By presenting a crashed car alongside eye catching messages written in chalk, Cranberry High School was able to successfully prick the minds of young drivers or soon-to-be drivers when it comes to considering their driving habits, as well as how safe they are actually being. 

As mentioned by Olivia Plummer, a freshman attending Cranberry High School, “I think safe driving might be one of the most important things in today’s world. With everything going on, we must use our technology responsibly. It’s scary to consider being in an accident just because of a single text. I think other people should consider the consequences before acting irresponsibly.”

Students of Cranberry’s Journalism class are to thank for the various driving messages written in chalk at the entrance of the school along with this week’s safe driving campaign, even though the rain had some impact on the visibility of the statistics. 

As for the car, Minich’s Towing and Recovery was kind enough to make a contribution towards the ultimate cause of spreading awareness. 

Next time, before you reach for your phone, some food, or participate in any realm of distracted driving, just remember that in one moment, you could be the cause of a life lost. 

Students walk by a crashed car that was sitting in front of the school to signify what could happen due to unsafe driving (Photo by Sara Uddin) 
Students wrote important safety messages and statistics about safe driving on the sidewalk in front of the school (Photo by AJ Howard)