To the Editor:
I am not quite sure why so many students who manage to be the best students of their country fail to use their superior intelligence when it comes to motorcycle and automobile safety. Obviously academic performance and intelligence do not always cross over.
My point is very simple: when operating a vehicle such as a motorcycle or a car, pay attention to the safety instructions. Is it so difficult to take that extra minute to fasten your seatbelt or to snap on your snazzy helmet and make sure that the person in the back seat has done the same?
I am not sure why students fail to perform this simple task. Please remember that helmets may be cumbersome but they work to protect the brain in the event of a collision.
I am frustrated with my peers who think that they are invincible, as if motorcycle accidents did not occur to Dartmouth students. Hello out there! Accidents do happen, and -- believe me -- at some point in your life you will be the victim. I suggest taking precautions now, not later, because without a helmet, later may never come.
A while back someone asked me why I wore a helmet while rollerblading: "Jaime," they said jokingly, "you know that you don't fall on your head when you blade."
I looked at them and said, very sure of myself, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and I meant it.
Why spend $30,000 on your education if you aren't even learning how to think? Someone who has truly learned something, be it anything at Dartmouth, would realize that life is short and very worthwhile. Why risk losing your only chance at life?
