Sylvia Thompson-Jewell

Driver Education Essay

25 November 2025

                                                                      

Impaired driving means to drive distracted, under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, and ultimately driving when you are not fully there in body, mind, and spirit. When I think of Impaired driving I think of pain, sorrow, hurt, tragedy, defending silence, anger, and death. Those are just some of the emotions and feelings one goes through when they crash and or hit someone else while driving impaired. Some seem to not get the gravity of the horrifying consequences, especially if they are impaired and questioning if they should drive home or not. People often make this mistake as our brain's chemical make-up is diluted and not rational. Most drugs are used to either calm the body or make the body super active. In moderation this could be good, but too much makes it dangerous because decision making skills and reflexes are slowed and over confident. Even when you take your drivers training they don’t pass you if you are over confident because to could be a risk on the road. The most common impairment amount of all ages is texting and driving, followed by fatigue and drugs(including alcohol). Phones have been an ever growing lech, a bionic attachment, a visual type of drug and addiction. Most people, especially as time goes on, are physically attached to their phone and always have it in their hand. This causes a major problem for you need two hands to drive and all one's attention on the road. 

One tragic story I've heard of impaired driving is when in winter where the roads were slick with ice and breaking takes extra time, a guy had alcohol and decided to drive himself home. He thought to himself that he’s lived in cold weather most his life and he’s a good driver, and not many people are out this late at night. So he set out as a young woman set out, heading home to her awaiting family. Both drivers met at an intersection by an elementary school, It was the women's right of way so she cautiously turned. The impaired guy was supposed to stop but the combination of his reaction time being significantly slowed and the slick roads, he couldn’t stop in time. He tried to stop, she looked at him with a face of horror as he slammed into her, sending her car into the elementary school's fence. She ended up dying on the scene, and he was left with the crushing guilt of killing an innocent woman just trying to go home. He has to live with that guilt the rest of his life and will probably never drink again either by choice or by court order as a consequence. His consequences could be having his license revoked, mandatory AA meetings, community service, and this will go on his public record. Another story that could have ended very badly is a personal experience I had. I was driving my friend home from my house one summer day and all was well. My neighbor was mowing her law up a head to the left and another was walking their dogs to the right. My friend in the passenger seat thought it was a good idea to try and tickle me while driving, this caused me to jerk the wheel in surprise. This is a reflex reaction of the body to  the mind, the body feeling an unwelcome touch and sending an urgent signal to the brain to avoid the touch quickly. I jerked the wheel and almost hit my neighbor on her mower, luckily I reacted fast and was able to maneuver to a safe path. Then I braked so hard my friend's seat belt had to catch him, I scolded him and marched him over to apologize to my neighbor. 

Driving education and traffic school could focus a whole lesson on impaired driving, explaining the consequences, after effects, long lasting effects, and the emotional weight of killing someone in an accident while driving impaired. The program I personally went to showed us driving crashes and simulations, using a scare tactic-like approach to get us to understand the gravity of these situations. I personally can prevent impaired driving by not driving under the influence of any substance and putting my phone away away while driving. I can ensure my focus is hundred and one percent on the road, and not driving if I feel tired or fatigued. Always stay vigilant, listen to your body, never drive impaired, and always have a back up plan to get home or somewhere safe.