As the holiday season arrives and streets become more crowded and hectic, Moorpark College students need to be cautious of pedestrians and other drivers on the road.

On Halloween night, three 13-year-old girls were run over and killed by a hit-and-run driver at a busy intersection in Santa Ana. Just 30 minutes after this incident, another hit-and-run occurred in Irvine when a 65-year-old man was killed as he crossed the street with his son while trick-or-treating.

It takes a split second of careless driving to cause these incidents.

The Moorpark College campus is not immune to this kind of tragedy. With increased traffic during the upcoming holidays and the sun setting earlier, students need to be reminded of the need for cautious driving.

One can witness students speeding and cutting off other cars in the parking lots on a daily basis. In the month of October alone, there were two reported hit-and-run accidents on the Moorpark College campus according to the Campus Police crime log.

“Students should always focus on the operation of the vehicle they [are] driving and the traffic obstacles they encounter,” said Moorpark College Campus Police Supervisor Lt. Gregory Beckley.

Not only are students running stop signs, they are running them over. In early October, an eye-witness observed a stop sign was replaced in the Campus Plaza by Moorpark College, after a man drove up onto the curb and ran it over. Reckless driving, such as this, compromises the safety of pedestrians crossing the street to get to and from class.

There were 2,995 deaths in California alone in 2012 due to motor vehicle related accidents, according to the California Highway Patrol traffic records. Vehicle crashes are the highest leading cause of death among teenagers, which causes car insurance to be higher for young drivers up until the age of 25, as stated by California Auto Insurance HQ.

This statistically shows the unsafe driving habits of younger inexperienced drivers. With the obvious high percentage of young drivers on the Moorpark Campus, students are challenged to fully stop at stop signs, not to speed, and in general, be more responsible behind the wheel.

As tragedies strike, such as the hit-and-run accidents that occurred on Halloween, there is an opportunity for students to reflect on their own driving habits to ensure the safety of pedestrians and fellow drivers as the busiest time of the year approaches.