Two studies recently pointed out what should be obvious to most Americans already: that smoking by teenagers is harmful and that speed contributes to many traffic deaths.
A report by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin found that teenage smoking harms the normal growth of the lungs and makes them stop functioning properly at an earlier age than if a person doesn’t smoke. Smoking by youths also increases the risk of later heart attacks and strokes by damaging blood vessels.
Meanwhile, the Governors Highway Safety Association found that speeding is a contributing factor in roughly one-third of all U.S. traffic fatalities. In 2010, nearly 11,000 people died in crashes caused at least in part by speeding, the organization said.
It is obviously true that illness can strike even people who avoid smoking, who eat properly and who get regular exercise. It is also true that the safest of drivers can be involved in traffic accidents despite their best efforts.
But it makes no sense to invite a greater chance of those problems by smoking or speeding. Life has enough unavoidable hardships. We shouldn’t make things worse with bad choices.