Driving impaired means different things to different people, but to me, it is an extremely selfish act of misjudgment. Any behavior that removes your full awareness or focus from the road is a form of impairment. Yet in most driver’s education programs, impaired driving is categorized almost exclusively as driving drunk or driving high. While those are serious and dangerous issues, defining impairment only through the aspects of substance use is an oversimplification. That narrow mindset creates loopholes and encourages people to ignore the other common ways drivers put themselves and others at risk. Impaired driving includes far more than alcohol or drugs, it includes driving without proper eyewear, driving while exhausted, driving while emotionally overwhelmed, and especially driving while using electronics. What all these forms of impairment have in common is that the driver does not have full attention on the road or their surroundings, and that lack of focus can be deadly.

       For individuals my age, the most common type of impaired driving is distractions caused by electronics. Phones are incorporated so much in our daily lives that we often don’t even recognize how much we depend on them. I cannot count how many times I have been in a car where the driver casually checks Snapchat at a stoplight or scrolls through Spotify to find a new song while the car is moving. Each time, I’m nervous because I know how fast a “quick glance” can turn into something life changing. A few seconds of distraction can feel harmless in the moment, but emotionally and physically, it can have consequences. A car travels a larger distance in the time it takes to read just one text message than people think, and that moment of distraction can mean the difference between a safe trip and a wreck. We have become so used to multitasking with our devices that we forget that multitasking and driving do not mix.

       I have seen the consequences of impaired driving, and the memory has stayed with me in ways I never expected. My friend’s mother passed away after being hit by a driver who was speeding and not paying attention to the road. The heartbreak that followed was gut wrenching, not just for her family, but for everyone who knew them. Watching someone I care about struggle with a loss that could have been completely prevented changed me. It made the issue feel personal, immediate, and painfully real. That event shaped the way I drive and the habits I practice daily. Driving impaired, whether through texting, speeding, exhaustion, or substances, is not just a personal risk, it is a decision that can change the lives of innocent people. Most drivers do not stop to consider the “other side” of their choices. They think about the small chance that they might get hurt, not the possibility that their distraction could take someone else’s parent, sibling, or child. I do not ever want to be the reason a child grows up without a father or the reason a mother must bury her son. I cannot control how other people drive, but I can control how I choose to, and that responsibility matters.

    I believe driver’s education programs could make real progress in preventing impaired driving by shifting the way they discuss the issue. Instead of focusing primarily on the risks to the driver, they should apply more emphasis on the other lives at stake. When people only hear “You could get hurt,” they often forget about it because they assume they will be lucky or careful enough to avoid danger. Instead, if they are reminded that their decisions could harm their passengers, their friends, or strangers, the situation becomes harder to ignore. Changing the perspective from self-preservation to protecting others can make new drivers think more deeply about the consequences of their actions. It encourages empathy, responsibility, and a mindset that values the lives around them just as much as their own. Driver’s education should teach that every time a driver picks up their phone or chooses to drive tired, they are placing multiple lives at risk, not just their own.

       A role I take seriously is holding my friends accountable when they use their phones while driving. When I notice someone reaching for their device, I speak up. I remind them to put it down, or I offer to handle the message or the music for them if it is something that truly can’t wait. It can be uncomfortable at times because of peer pressure or because I don’t want to seem overbearing, but staying silent would mean allowing unsafe habits to continue. Accountability works in both directions, so I also commit to practicing safe habits myself. As the oldest child in my family, I know my younger sister watches everything I do. Now that she is old enough to drive, I see how important it is to set a strong example. If she sees me drive while impaired, she may believe that those behaviors are normal or acceptable. I want her to learn the right habits from the start, so she never has to face the kind of loss my friend did.