When hearing impaired driving, many may simply just think of driving while under the influence: a car swerving left and right, unable to drive straight. But really, impaired driving is so much more than that. There are so many factors and causes that can impair your ability to drive. It can be alcohol, drugs, texting, talking, or even just being tired. It scares me that a lot of people, even those with licenses and have taken driver's ed, believe that they're "fine to drive" when the reality is that they simply aren't. It's so easy for us to underestimate how fast a single text, a single drink, a single work shift can become something fatal.  The unfortunate truth is that a life should not be worth a second. A single, tiny, short, minuscule lapse of judgment or moment of inattention behind the wheel can have consequences that last forever. 

Currently, the things I see most often, which become even worse at night, are phone usage, alcohol, drugs, and basic fatigue. It's already well-known that alcohol and drugs can hinder reaction time and mess with one's judgment. Texting causes you to take your eyes, hands, and mind off driving for the moment. But something that may be overlooked is fatigue. People can often forget that driving tired can be just as dangerous as driving drunk, if not even worse. Even a few seconds of drowsiness can be the same as driving across an entire football field's worth of road while blind. I, myself, have started to feel tired while driving before and instantly knew that was bad news. So instead, I just pulled into a parking lot and recouped myself until I was fully awake and would be okay to drive. All of these can make a simple mistake become deadly. It doesn't matter how little you drank, how short the text is, or how awake you are compared to being tired. All it can take is a second, especially when driving a hunk of metal going dozens of miles per hour.

I'll also never forget when I saw a video of a motorcycle crash. I've seen videos and clips of car crashes before, but that one video always stuck with me. A cop had pulled over a teen on a motorcycle for speeding and gave him a warning before letting him off the hook. Even that's considered impaired driving. Nobody should be driving if their judgment is impaired and they genuinely think that driving far above the speed limit isn't completely insane. Despite being warned, the teen still continued to drive with this impaired sense of judgment and perception that it would be okay to continue that behavior, and the cop had gotten a call on his radio. It turned out that same teen he let go had gotten into a crash and died on impact. It made me realize that “impaired” isn’t just about alcohol or drugs. It’s about any state of mind that keeps you from being fully aware behind the wheel. Even just being aware that going over the speed limit is not safe. That video showed me just how quick a life can be worth. A life should not be able to come to an end in a second or because of a second of inattention. A life should not be worth a second, and having that in mind heavily influences how I drive behind the wheel. 

Driver’s ed really helped me with making that mindset stick. When I took driver’s ed, it wasn’t the rules or the diagrams that stuck with me. Instead, it was the videos of real families who had lost loved ones from traffic accidents. Those videos made impaired driving feel real and personal, not just something that's always talked about but rarely actually happens. Courses like that teach more than just the laws; they show why those laws exist in the first place and how your choices on the road can affect everyone around you.

For me, I try to prevent impaired driving by starting with the choices that I make every time I drive. I don’t touch my phone, and I don't drive when I’m feeling too tired. Fortunately, I've never been in a situation like this and don't plan on being in one, but if I ever felt unsafe with the idea of driving and being behind the wheel, then I'd call for a ride instead. Preventing impaired driving is also about speaking up too, though. Even though it might be awkward and annoying, I'll say something if I'm in a car with a friend who's demonstrating impaired judgment and behaviors that may cause impaired driving. After all, my silence can cost our lives. My hope is that by living this way, I can also influence others too, whether it be family, friends, or younger drivers, to make safer choices on the road. Every safe choice I personally make behind the wheel doesn’t protect only me but everyone else on the road too.

Impaired driving is personal to me because it’s a harsh reminder that every time we get behind the wheel, we hold the responsibility of driving safely and without being impaired. This responsibility isn't just for us either; it's for everyone, which makes it weigh down even harder. I don't ever want to be the cause of those families who lost loved ones in a traffic accident to be displayed on a driver's ed program video. I don't ever want to be placed in the situation of those families, either, and lose a loved one due to someone else's negligence. Education may give us the information we need to know, but it’s how we actually decide to act every day that makes the real difference. I believe that driver’s ed and traffic safety courses are most effective when they make those risks feel more real by making them personal or bringing them to life. The laws of the road are more than just following rules and regulations; they're about protecting lives, beginning with your own and branching to those around you. A life should never be worth a second, and that simple yet tragic truth is what guides me every time I drive.