I won't say I've never exceeded the posted speed limit while behind the wheel of a car. In fact, I got my fair share of speeding tickets when I was younger. I'm not sure, but I might have gotten a lot fewer had I lived in Toronto, Ontario up in Canada. If you get pulled over you might have to deal with a lecture not just from the police officer, but from a student from a local high school.

"Did you know you were speeding and have struck me dead?" sixteen-year-old Felicia Petric told one lead-footed woman. "I had many plans for this life and I can feel them all speeding away." When pulled over, drivers have the choice of getting a ticket or listening to an essay by a student from Monsignor Paul Dwyer Secondary School.

Not only is the project intended to put a face on the carnage reckless driving can cause, it also gives the kids more insight into the reality of driving. The students used statistics and personal experience to create the compelling essays, one of which included the tale of a friend's father who was killed in a speeding vehicle.

I don't know if such an encounter would be more effective with me than a ticket, but given the double benefit of educating drivers and students, this sure sounds like a good idea to me.