Driving Impaired: It’s Not What You Think

The mountain scenery is exciting. It’s my first time being here. The roads wind up steep grades and the overlooks are gorgeous. I need to take a selfie. I need to show everyone back home where I am and what I’m seeing. The road is not crowded. I should be fine. I grab my phone and raise it, searching for the exact spot to show my face with the mountainous view behind me. There! I snap a few photos to be sure I get a good one. As I lower my camera, I see my car heading towards the guard rail before crashing into it and sailing over the other side. As my car plummets over the mountainside towards the ground, I whisper, “God help me” as I realize I will soon be dead. Why didn’t I just pull over. Why did I need to take that stupid picture. Whatever the answer, it’s too late now. I can never undo the decision I made.

Impaired driving means the obvious like: driving while intoxicated, whether on drugs or alcohol, driving while tired, but it also means driving while distracted. Distractions come in many forms. Goofing off with friends, changing radio stations, or even reading signs can be a distraction or impairment, but in my opinion, the biggest distraction is using a cell phone while driving. 

We all understand that driving while drinking or doing drugs is driving impaired. Driving under the influence is so dangerous that police officers set up check points on big celebration days like the 4th of July, New Year's Eve, and other big celebrations. They also set up random check points to monitor drivers after club hours. This may seem like they are out to get you, but they are really trying to protect you and others from an accident caused by intoxication. They know that alcohol impairs your vision and slows your reaction time so that you are not safe behind a wheel. But alcohol and drugs are not the only impairments to driving.

Cross country truckers often drive many hours without stopping to get their load from one destination to another by a certain time. Those giant eighteen wheelers are death machines when this happens. When driving on the highway, it's important to watch the trucks for signs of weaving or impaired driving. Tired drivers cause many accidents. But truckers aren't the only ones who drive tired. It's dangerous to drive after working a long shift, an action-packed weekend trip with friends, a long night of studying - all with no sleep. Instead of trying to make it home, why not take a nap in your car first. Driving sleep impaired is dangerous for you and others. You need to be concerned about both.

When you are the driver of one or several other people for an evening out, it is your responsibility to keep everyone safe. You should take your responsibility seriously and do everything you can to bring your passengers home safely. Drive the speed limit. Make sure everyone is buckled up. Keep the music at a level that you can still hear emergency vehicles while listening. Sometimes when in a good mood and on a night out, passengers joke around, throw things around, get rambunctious, and play with the radio. All of these things are a distraction and impairment to the driver. Instead of allowing passengers to distract you from safe driving, ask them to tone it down, or ask them to turn down the music, or to stop throwing things. Tell them you are driving and it's a distraction. They will most likely listen. The evening is about fun after all. There's another distraction that seems innocent but is far worse in my opinion. That distraction would be your cell phone.

Cells phones have become a huge distraction. It seems everyone has one in their hands at all times - even when driving. You might think that texting, reading a text, or taking photos is innocent and won't hurt anyone, but you would be dead wrong. The mere seconds you take your eyes off the road to look at your phone is enough time to crash into someone or something. It literally only takes seconds. And those precious seconds can change your life or the life of someone else forever. Phones should never be in your hand while driving. It’s time to rethink how we behave behind the wheel. Put your phone away. Keep it out of reach so that you can't help but resist temptation.

There are measures you can take to be safe, to not be tempted to grab your phone when driving. You can lock you phone in your trunk, put it away like in a glove department or purse, or use the “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode. Everyone is aware of how distracting phones can be. So instead of being tempted – a temptation that could cost you your life – put your phone away before you even start the car. That way, you will be safe, your passengers will be safe, and others who cross your path will be safe. And most importantly, you will live to see another beautiful view that you can tell your family and friends about.