Most drivers believe they would never drive impaired, yet many of us check our phones at red lights, push through exhaustion on late-night drives, or convince ourselves that "just one drink" won't affect our reaction time. Impaired driving, to me, means operating a vehicle under any condition that diminishes judgment, slows reflexes, or diverts attention from the road, whether caused by alcohol, drugs, fatigue, or distraction. The real danger isn't that drivers don't know what impairment is; it's that we've learned to rationalize our own behavior. This misunderstanding persists even among those who have completed driver's education or traffic school because these programs often focus heavily on the mechanics of driving and legal consequences, while spending less time on impairment. 

We learn that drunk driving is wrong, but we don't always internalize that drowsy driving can be just as deadly. Drivers today are primarily distracted by devices. I myself am guilty of looking down at my phone in a long line of slow, albeit still moving, traffic. Looking down at your device exponentially increases the risk of crashing; looking down at a device for 3 seconds at highway speeds can cause you to drive, completely unaware, for the length of a football field. Despite the dangers presented by this, most young people don’t fully realize, or care, about the dangers associated with distracted driving. I find most people my age are completely unconcerned with themselves or others driving while glancing at their phone. This lack of stigma around using devices presents a serious issue that will develop in the coming years.

As for my personal experience, I’ve had the unfortunate event of being present at a crash as it happened. Running a red light is disturbingly common; in this case, me and my father had to help a family move out of a crushed, smoking van on an intersection after two men had continued to drive several seconds after the light turned red. I still remember the deafening noise and confusion that followed as my dad and I ran to the accident. Given this, I had a noticeable change in my approach to driving. I knew the life-altering changes that could happen because of an irresponsible or unconscious action. My girlfriend has remarked that I don’t speed anymore; I think the choice is rational given what I’ve seen and heard in the past.

Within driver’s education and traffic school, the majority of the curriculum focuses on the technical aspects. Through basic traffic laws, right-of-way lessons, and descriptions of weather and first-person experiences, drivers are given a very monotonous and unmemorable picture on the dynamics of driving. Less nuanced, but more effective, lessons on impairments as it relates to drugs and smartphone use have been implemented. Psychological education about overconfidence and risk perception have been more recently applied as well; through this, drivers can more easily discern whether a situation is safe or not. Community impact, often announced for the memorial of a local person’s death, helps better illustrate the direct effects of improper driving. Despite the utility of education, it isn’t enough by itself. Education is limited in its ability to fully illustrate to drivers the lethal effects of impaired driving. While this knowledge is useful, changes in behavior and total driving habits across a community require more vivid, emotional videos and examples to stick with people.

My personal role in prevention involves establishing habits advantageous to my own and others’ safety. More personally, I’ve commonly been a designated driver for my parents and their respective coworkers multiple times. Although inconvenient, being a designated driver helps me personally certify that my family and others are safe on the road. My role, although useful, is personal and requires me to reach out to others in terms of educating. I hope to talk to my peers and discuss with my family issues surrounding the nature and frequency of impaired driving.

Throughout my city of Maryville, TN, the advent of responsible, respectful driving is still being culturally accepted. Being a responsible driver necessitates the driver learning, experiencing, and communicating the importance to others of a driver’s education outside of a program. The effects commonly experienced through substance use and fatigue is not well-understood by the public and certainly not stigmatized as much as it should be. Misunderstanding this important fact is what will lead to more, if not the vast majority, of future driving accidents. Drivers’ future understanding of drowsy or distracted driving consequences will depend on community involvement and more nuanced programs. Given this, I believe the main solution for reducing these accidents is the introduction of more efficient, illustrative programs. The collective responsibility of drivers in communities can be well-defined and implemented as law if done correctly; accountability and learning will be done first. With this, only one person or group of people is needed to act on this challenge.