What do you think of when you hear “Impaired driving?” Do you hear Recklessness? Or maybe being drunk and young? Or death? Here’s the WithVicLegal.com definition; the state or fact of being impaired while driving. In that definition, does it single out drugs or alcohol? No, because you can be impaired for many different reasons. It is a common misconception that impaired driving only means drugs and alcohol impairment. But you can be impaired from marijauna to being too sleepy. Anything that makes your safe driving skills unsafe is considered impaired driving. Impaired driving is not limited to illegal substances, and can happen at any time. Any distraction can cause a crash, some fatal while others don’t even leave a scratch.

Alcohol is the most common way to be driving impaired, with one third of all fatal traffic crashes. With drugs in second, and distraction in third. Distraction meaning looking at your phone, switching music, looking at houses, etc. The effects of alcohol on your driving decreases needed areas, such as; focus, coordination, good judgment, and quick reactions to the environment. You need to be able to focus on road signs, have good coordination of your vehicle, good judgement on whether you should turn or not, and a quick reaction in case a person walks or runs out in front of you. Prescriptions and over the counter medicines can also cause many side effects that can impact driving, such as sleepiness, impaired vision, and impaired coordination.

I read a story by Shelly on Crash Support Network, where she wrote about how on October 17th, 2018. She was severely close to death and lost her dog immediately on impact, after a drunk driver hit her car head on. She had just left from her 12 hour shift, and was heading home. In the beginning of the story, she seems shocked and in disbelief. Once we came close to the end, she explained how big of an impact that crash had on her life. She had over 13 surgeries on her foot, leaving her with disabled foot/ankle injury. She was diagnosed with severe PTSD,  anxiety, and depression. As well as losing her dog, having to pay medical bills, and all of this happened because that person decided to drink while driving. This story is really impactful, and many others show the dangers of impaired driving. Because of these situations, I would rather wait or have someone else drive me, than hurt others because I wasn't safe to drive. Something I will do in the future is not hesitate to pull over if I feel I am not safe to drive, or refuse to drive if I have had too much to drink in the far future.

Reading Shelly’s story made me realize that every moment counts, that you never know what will happen next. Even though stories like Shelly’s are very common, so many people still think it won’t happen to them. Or they wouldn’t hurt anyone. Or they even pretend to be safe enough to drive. Death is not an easy subject for a lot of people, but there are ways to make it easier to deal with. Including decreasing amounts of impaired driving accidents. The way to change attitudes and behaviours around impaired driving, is driver’s education and traffic school courses. They make it real and personal, an example; Reading about death may cause temporary sadness, but dealing with death on a personal level can be more impactful and longterm. There are simulations and stories from families impacted. They focus on why this happened, and promote self awareness and decision making. But the courses also help with real life situations, and how to help others who are thinking of driving while impaired. Leading a safe and positive example. These courses prepare you for the worst, and teach you how to act accordingly. An example being, how you would react to hydroplaning on the highway.

It may not seem like you can do much, since you’re only one person. But significant people in history have proved that wrong by standing up for what they believed in. Martin Luther King Jr, Socrates, Rosa Parks, and Sophie Scholl being examples of history. By preventing someone from driving while impaired, you are preventing them from hurting themselves or others because of their driving at that time. Psychology proves that when one person stands up for what they believe in, it is easier for others who believe it to also stand up. The hard part is being the person to break the norm, but others will follow. It may not seem like a big difference, but one life saved is better than none. If more people thought about what consequences can come from their actions, the world will be a little safer. And innocent people don’t have to get hurt in the process.