but This Is a ‘Safety Precaution’

18, senior at the Brentwood School and former classmate and friend of Brandi Mitock.

Brandi was a good friend of mine; she dated one of my closest friends. I had known her for two years and we had all gone to the prom and the semi-formal together. The day she got hit, we had had lunch together.

I also remember her running around school the day before, trying to find a ride home. She was funny and sarcastic, and had a lot of energy. She had this funny walk--brisk and a little dramatic if she was stressed out, with her arms flapping. I guess you could say she was a character. She was also an optimist. If your day wasn’t going well, she always said tomorrow would be better.

Even though Brandi stepped out into traffic that day, I think it’s possible that if the driver had been younger and his reaction time possibly a little quicker, this might never have happened. The Mitocks wonder if this may have been avoided if he had been more alert.

I have written a letter to Hayden in support of this at the request of the Mitock family. Someone such as Cox would have been driving for decades when this happened. And at 96, he should by all means still be driving if he has proved his ability to do so. It’s not about being punished because you’re old; this measure is a safety precaution.

People need to be tested every few years for all sorts of things, including health conditions. And after all, teenagers have all sorts of strict driving restrictions placed upon us. Our insurance rates are higher and we have to go to court when we get tickets.

If you’re not capable of driving, you should lose your license and not be mad about it. About two years ago, when my grandmother was 85, she drove through a stop sign and lost her license for a year. The cop had been following her for miles before she even noticed him. She had to take driver’s ed and take the test again. Now she’s back on the road, and she recently told my mom that she learned a lot about the rules of the road through this process.

I just don’t see how this measure can hurt anyone. And it’s not discriminatory to test the vision of seniors, because it’s simply a fact that vision often declines with age. The hassle of taking a test again is worth it if can save lives. Who wouldn’t agree that a trip to the DMV once a year is worth a life?

I drive by the intersection where it happened all the time and I think, “Why?” Brandi was here and gone so fast. I go through all the possibilities in my mind; what if Brandi had dropped a book and then stepped out in the street a second later? What if Cox had been going slower?

Everyone at school supports this bill. This has just been horribly devastating for Brandi’s family. Brandi’s family is doing this so that they can feel like she didn’t die for nothing.