I believe many of my generation do not realize what all is considered impaired driving. Honestly, we think of it only as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But I realize that impaired driving happens anytime a person gets behind the wheel when they aren’t fully alert and capable of making safe decisions. This means a person’s driving is impaired if they have consumed alcohol or drugs of any kind, if they are tired or sleepy, if they are on medication or suffering a medical condition that affects their alertness, and even if they are simply distracted by their phone, someone in their car, or thoughts on their mind. All of these things keep a person from fully focusing on their driving—which is dangerous to everyone on the road, including their selves and their passengers.

   I’ll admit that even though I’m able to clearly say this, I often forget. And when I took driver’s ed, all of them were touched on but not at an equal level of importance. As a result, it seems like it is commonly misunderstood that “impaired” driving is simply driving “under the influence”. That particular type of driving seems to be the most publicized and scrutinized type, labeled as an impairment. But this day and age, I believe phone usage has caught up with drinking and driving as a main culprit for the cause of accidents.

   It's just harder to track and identify. Reports show that about 30% of fatal accidents involve drivers with blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit while 9-14% of fatal accidents involve drivers texting or using their phones prior to the accident. But because there is no way to confirm every person’s phone usage up to the moments of the accident, it’s very possible that the percentage of phone distractions is much higher. But I think we all know this. That’s why states have created “hands free” driving laws that we didn’t have when I was a little girl.

   The problem is that using the phone can happen so suddenly or unconsciously that the driver doesn’t even intend to or doesn’t realize they’ve done it until it’s too late. To me, that makes this form of impairment more dangerous—it’s easier for anyone to do it even if it is not their habit. And because my generation—the current new drivers—grew up on smart devices, social media, and texting; we are prone to get on our phones anytime the moment strikes to. And we honestly do not have proper self-discipline or sense of awareness of just how dangerous it is.

   Because of this, I feel like all driver’s ed courses and traffic schools should put a lot more emphasis on all forms of impaired driving and then an extra emphasis on driving while using the phone—not just technically “texting”. I know a woman who is very much about her business. She was making moves to prepare to buy her first home. One day, she was driving home from work in rush hour traffic when she got an email notification. She didn’t ignore it, picked up her phone, saw it was from her realtor, and decided to open it. It was great news and she got excited. The moment she looked back up from her phone she saw she was two seconds from the car in front of her that was at a complete stand-still. Traffic had stopped and she had no clue.

   She rammed into the car in front of her, only stopping a little but still at a fast speed. Fortunately, she and the driver in front of her were physically okay, but both cars were totaled. That moment ended up costing her so much money in traffic violations and car replacement and increased insurance premiums. And she lost the car she loved. All because she impulsively read an email. She’s lucky to be alive but hasn’t truly liked the cars she has had since then and still hasn’t bought a house yet. Seems like everything changed for her after that. I don’t get exactly why or how. I just know that one mistake changed her life.

    I think it would be helpful to tell real stories like this, and even include the photos, when trying to make new and young drivers realize how dangerous impaired driving can be. Not just the drinking and driving statistics. Because watching this happen to her taught me a lot and convinced me to put my phone down when I’m driving. I even remind my mom to do the same. Young drivers are not the only ones who do it, obviously, but it should be emphasized as people are beginning their driving journey. If programs focus more on the harsh realities of what impaired driving can cause—totaled cars, loss of income, death, mental health issues like PTSD, criminal charges—I believe the impact of driver’s education will increase.

   Beyond the courses, we all can help each other by speaking up to our family, friends, and loved ones. I get on to my boyfriend as he is driving when he touches his phone or is not paying attention to what’s going on around us. I remind my mom to stay off her phone when we hear a notification chime. My twin sister and I both take the time to set up the address of our destination in WAZE, turn on our music, then place our phone on the car mount, before we start driving. These practices should be included in driving school instructions because the reality is they are just as ordinary and necessary as telling the driver to check their mirrors and adjust them as needed.

    Also, our car has a “MyKey” setting that my mom put on it using her admin key. We cannot drive above 80 MPH even if we tried, our radio volume cannot go up past a certain level, and the audio will mute if anyone’s seatbelt is not fastened. These are extra precautions that should be advertised more. And maybe there can even be a setting that if your car is connected to your phone via Bluetooth, cable, or CarPlay, that once you touch a button on your phone, the audio mutes and the car alerts you not to use the phone while driving.

   At the end of the day, just as much as we need to get the drink and drugs out of drivers’ hands, we need to get the phones out of their hands too.