I flick my turn signal down to indicate a left turn. Cars zip past me as I wait to pull onto the road leading to the parking lot of my high school. I take this drive every morning; I always exit my neighborhood the same way, pass the same train tracks, and finally make my way up the hill where my school sits. Although it’s easy to dismiss the drive as a simple, routine task, it means something to me. Every time I follow this route, I’m reminded of how grateful I should be simply to have the ability to drive. Driving is a privilege, and it should be treated as such.

Unfortunately, not everyone fully understands this. People make reckless choices on the road almost daily because they don’t realize, or forget, that driving is a privilege. They take it for granted.

One of the worst choices someone can make behind the wheel is driving while “impaired.” When most people hear the word, they immediately think of drugs or alcohol. Everyone is familiar with drunk driving and driving under the influence. What many don’t realize, however, is that impaired driving encompasses far more than substance use. Fatigue, distraction, certain medical conditions, and alcohol or drugs can all contribute to impaired driving. In 2025, an average of 37 people per day were killed in alcohol-related motor accidents, according to Forbes. Because alcohol is the most discussed and most obvious form of impairment, many people assume that if they haven’t been drinking, they must not be impaired. This belief is far from the truth. In 2023, 3,275 people were killed in accidents caused by distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Taking your eyes off the road for even one second to check a text can be the difference between life and death. The National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit focused on improving sleep education and advocacy, also reports that more than 400,000 people drive drowsy at least once per week. Driving while tired reduces focus and reaction time, making it incredibly dangerous.

What’s particularly frustrating is that all these impairments are preventable. Whether someone chooses to have a designated driver, waits to check their phone, or simply gets a good night’s sleep, each of these decisions has the power to prevent needless fatalities. Impaired driving, to me, is a completely avoidable risk—one that threatens every person on the road yet can be eliminated through small, responsible actions.

Another issue people tend to ignore, often because they don’t see driving as a privilege, is driver’s education. Teens eager to earn their license often rush through the coursework as quickly as possible, focusing more on the freedom that comes with driving than on the responsibility it requires. I have frequently seen students running online driver’s education lessons in the background on their laptops while their teachers give school lectures. This is a problem because driver’s education offers some of the most valuable and comprehensive real-world guidance for new drivers, even through a computer screen. From teaching about the mechanical parts of a car to explaining how to drive in different environments, driver’s ed covers everything a new driver should know.

I believe the most beneficial part of online driver’s education courses is how thoroughly they cover the scenarios drivers rarely think about but absolutely need to understand. You learn what to do when skidding on ice, how to respond when a deer runs into the road, and even how to safely change a tire. Students who ignore these lessons often find themselves unprepared for these situations and panic when they arise.

Driver’s education also uses real stories from real people to drive home the importance of safe driving. One story, in particular, has stayed with me. It described a family whose teenage daughter, pressured by her friends, drove up a hill far too fast and launched off the top into a ditch. What hit me hardest was recognizing someone in the video—my former elementary school gym teacher. Seeing her there made the issue feel personal and immediate. It reminded me that the consequences of impaired or irresponsible driving don’t happen to “other people.” They can happen to people in our own community, people we know, people we care about. After that moment, I could no longer distance myself from the risks caused by peer pressure and unsafe choices behind the wheel.

After hearing that story, I made a promise to myself to be a positive influence whenever I am in a car. Whether it means encouraging the driver to stay focused on the road instead of their phone or offering to drive when someone feels tired, I do my best to make sure the people around me make responsible decisions. By helping others understand that driving is a privilege, not a right, I hope to contribute to the “zero deaths” goal—not only in Wisconsin, but wherever life takes me.