Check Your Mirrors!

2025 Driver Education Round 3

Check Your Mirrors!

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Melody Felipe-oshiro

South El Monte, California

To me, impaired driving defines a situation where someone under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or on their cellphone is in use of a motorized vehicle. Many people misunderstand that impaired driving is just a fancy term for drunk driving. But in truth, impaired driving defines all types of driving that causes a driver to be distracted or unable to follow proper safety protocols when behind the wheel. Some may think, "I'm only going to check my phone for a few seconds," or "I've only had one drink," or "I'll only take a few milligrams," but they don't realize just how much could happen in those short moments, or what could happen from those small servings. You could t-bone another car, run a red light, and even be involved in a hit-and-run. Even if one is being cautious, another car may not be, and there won't always be enough time to notice and swerve or break for safety.

When I was younger, my parents and I were driving home from dinner. As I leaned on the window of the backseat to rest my eyes, a van suddenly rammed into the side of car where I was learning on, and both of our cars were forced to the side of the road from the impact. My mother sprained her wrist, and I had hit my head as it bounced off the window and back onto the passenger side door after the collision. The driver that hit us never tried to drive away, avoid sharing his contact information with us, or tried to pay us off for cheap in the moment. He was an honest person who apologized for what he had done, provided us with all of his information, and the situation was taken care of.
The reason that he hit us, was that he has been texting with his hands off the wheel.
No matter how honest and pure of a person he was, he had still been impaired driving. He made me realize that anyone-even myself-could total someone else's car, hit a person, or be the cause of a traffic jam. It wasn't about whether or not you were a good person, or a careful person, or a criminal, anyone could be the cause of an accident due to impaired driving. I had always believed that people who caused car accidents were horrible people. People who didn't care about others' lives. so they were fine with driving while intoxicated, too drunk and high to see in front of them. But in reality, it wasn't a matter of your morals, it was a matter of how careful or reckless you were while on the road.

Driver's education courses may help reduce the number of accidents caused by impaired driving by making people more aware of the dangers of taxing and driving and drunk driving like car crashes, injuries, and even deaths. Imagining them or their families as victims of crashes and broken bones,
and telling someone about the lawsuits, court visits, insurance paperwork, and even jail time that comes with being involved in cases of impaired diving can implement anxiety and fear of ever driving while under the influence of while unfocused because no one wants to face such consequences. After years of driving, most people brush off the initial fear that they have when they are first behind the wheel, and the cautious steering and blinkers that they use to ensure that they do not get into a serious accident and risk getting scolded by their parents or worse-have to deal with the police or an angry driver. Courses that once again implement in drivers the importance of safe driving and limiting texting and driving and other forms of impaired driving can help reestablish the precautionary measures that drivers used to take, overall reducing the likelihood of accidents and crashes happening in the future.

I believe that I can personally prevent impaired driving by avoiding using my phone while I am in the drivers seat. I would leave it in my purse on the passengers seat or silence it while I am driving. If I ever notice my parents or friends trying to use their phones while they are driving, I will remind them that it is unsafe to text and drive, and that they should just wait until they get home to read their messages. Id anyone in my family is drinking at dinner, I will make sure that they do not drive home, or that they wait for the required amount of time for alcohol to wear off to pass before they go on the road once again. One text will never be worth the trauma, anxiety, and despair of a car accident, and I hope that my experience getting my family car totaled can act as a reminder for people to never let trivial distractions or substance abuse get in the way of their own satay and the safety of others.

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