“ My car wasn’t even that bad. It just got some black marks on it. But the lamppost fell down though,” she said.

According to the article, Teen Driving Statics, under National Teen Driving Statistics at rmiia.org, 16-year-olds have higher crash rates than drivers of any other age.

“People get into accidents all the time,” Zimmerling said. “Teenagers shouldn’t be allowed to drive. I haven’t even had my license for year and I think I am smarter than most of the teenagers are.”

It’s important to practice safe driving habits and use common sense on the road when taking action, says safetyresource.org. But with the responsibilities that are required/listed above, gas is another one, according to ca.gov.

Putting gas in the car is like eating food and converting it to energy, says bcbsms.com. It keeps the car going just like food keeps a person going.

Gas prices, according to CNN Money.com and AAA Fuel Gauge Report that Missouri is one of the few states that has the lowest gas prices in the country. Missouri’s gas prices rank lower than Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and various other states around them. The average price of gas in the country is rounded up to $3.649.

“Gas prices don’t really affect me because my parents pay for my gas,” sophomore Rachel Kelly said. “I do worry about it though because prices are really expensive.”

In the state, the highest ranked price for gas in the St. Louis area as of 8:23 p.m. Sept. 29, is $3.39, according to stlouisgasprices.com. Lowest ranking price is estimated $2.83 to $3.03.

When money is being spent each day on gas due to daily duties, such as driving to school, work, groceries, etc., a fair amount is being wasted due to traffic, according to  cbo.gov.

“The traffic by our school did used to be an issue last year but this year it is better,” Zimmerling said. “I know that it is bad for New Melle kids because Route D is closed.”

According to modot.mo.gov/stlouis/road_construction/weeklyupdate.htm Route D will be closed from Route 94 to Wildlife lane near Route DD until Sept. 23.

 “The traffic is bearable. I definitely think that issue should be changed though. But that might not be for a while, so people should just suck it up,” sophomore Katelyn Smith said.

Written by: Cidney Woodson