Drive Smart Drives in an Important Message
December 5, 2019
Driving is one of the most dangerous methods of transportation, and that’s why it is important to be able to drive, not just safely, but smartly. On Nov. 14, the students of Manitou Springs High School (MSHS) gathered in the gym for a Drive Smart assembly. Two MSHS staff members stood up in front of the student body that day and told their heart-wrenching tales to remind students why driving smart is so important, and what consequences it could bring if people do not.
The first spokesperson for the assembly was Mrs. King, one of the amazing teachers at MSHS. King’s speech about her sister, Lauren, was in the form of a poem. Lauren was an amazing snowboarder who always tried to see the good in the world. She always had a very optimistic look on life. King’s sister was an amazing woman who was always determined to complete all of her goals. She was devoted to caring for her family and others, was always a hard worker, finding ways around any obstacles that dare challenged her. However, it seems that one challenge was able to get the best of her.
One fateful morning, King’s sister was called into work. It was snowing pretty badly outside but that wasn’t going to stop her from going to work, another thing that she was devoted to. While she was driving, the snow had finally started to stick to the road. What happened next was devastating. Lauren had crashed and was not wearing her seatbelt. She suffered from extreme head injuries and was rushed to the hospital. When Mrs. King answered the phone, she was thrown off guard, “You never really anticipate something like that to happen,” she said when asked if she was shocked after receiving the news. Lauren was in the hospital for three weeks until she eventually passed. The road where she crashed that day was named after Lauren to keep her name and legacy alive. King hopes that her sister’s story highlights the importance of wearing seatbelts and driving safely.
The second spokesperson for the Drive Smart assembly was Ms. Waters, another one of MSHS’s amazing staff. Her sad, sorrowful tale is about her partner, Xavier Fretard. Fretard was known as the “Tall Man” at the Miblo Art Theatre. He would wear stilts and ride around on a tall bicycle. He was a wonderful performer and was obnoxious, in a good way. He was always there to make people smile, and lift the spirits of everyone around him. Sadly, Fretard’s life was taken away from him in an unfair way. On June 23, 2018, Fretard lost his life to a man under the influence. It was a hit-and-run with a terrible ending. Waters later received the news about her life partner later that night. What happened to him was horrible, but the “Tall Man” didn’t go out small. Manitou hosted a huge parade in the memory of Fretard, a man who shall never be forgotten. The man who took Fretard’s life that day could have walked home, or called and uber, but he didn’t. This man’s actions took Fretard’s life away and he has to live with that.
Driving is extremely dangerous. To all the students and teachers at MSHS, remember that your actions always have consequences, whether it be good or bad. Always drive safely. You never know what could happen. In the end, it’s all up to you.
Conner L. • Feb 12, 2020 at 8:46 am
As someone who has more or less recently been in an accident themselves, I think drive smart is a great thing. I think a lot of us will sit there and listen to what they’re telling us during those presentations, but we never really grasp on to the realness of what they’re telling us. Let me tell you, there is nothing that will prepare you from being smashed into from behind by somebody going 40 mph. But drive smart is a good platform that has been set up to help teach drivers to stay aware and really focus on their driving.
Lilly Dyer • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:56 am
I am all for the Drive Smart event that went on a couple of months ago, along with this attached article talking about how it went. Personally, I worry about driving since it takes such great risk of putting your life on the line as said in the article and in the assembly. I worry about swerving my steering wheel in the wrong direction, or pressing my foot a little too hard on the gas pedal, and more slight mistakes to change the existence of my breath in a second while driving. With this in mind, I take it carefully and seriously when I drive to avoid those dangers. However, I feel there are plenty of people in the world, not just in Manitou Springs High School, who don’t take care about driving, leading them to get in accidents, as written about in this article and said by our incredible representitives in the school. It is devastating to see and hear this occur, even if you don’t know who the driver is, as they lose their life, their friends, their family, and so much more. To stop this from happening, people not only need to slow down on the roads, but also spread awareness of the consequences of driving, by doing what our school did – having a speech about the consequences and providing an article about it – and more. People need to take charge of their actions and be aware of the hardships that can take place if they veer off in the wrong direction while driving.
Koda O • Feb 10, 2020 at 8:44 am
It was exciting getting my permit a couple months back. Don’t get me wrong, I knew and understood that driving is dangerous.
When I was told by my father about the freedoms of driving my hopes were high. It’s a real world application we apply everyday to get to school or work or lunch and finally back home. I hope that people especially students will understand the actual dangers of driving an respect the road as a privilege than a right.