I have been driving for about a year now, and I have noticed something among drivers. As someone who lives in Eagle Mountain, and drives to school all the way to West Jordan, I have seen some things that I think affect driving ability as well as driving behavior, and that is texting while driving. Another type of impairment I believe affects driving behavior is drivers who are fatigued. I believe these are the most common types of impairments because when I am driving to school in the morning there is already a lot of traffic at 6 in the morning, and at that time from Eagle Mountain to West Jordan it is about a 1 hour and 23 minute drive instead of a 42 minute drive like it would be if there was no traffic. There is fatigue among the drivers because they all have to wake up extra early in order to get to work or school. Since there is only one way to get onto Bangerter Highway, I-15, and Mountain View there are a lot of times where I have to stop due to the heavy traffic. When I stop I like to look around my surroundings, and most of the time I see drivers on their phones. These are the experiences I have experienced that make me believe that fatigue drivers, and texting while driving are the most common types of impairments, and they affect drivers driving ability which also contributes to unsafe behavior. 
     Texting while driving has affected driving ability for many reasons, and some of those reasons include reduced reaction time, visual distraction, manual distraction, and increased crash risk. When someone is texting or doing anything with their phone while driving, their minds are on their phone and not on the road. It is not good to do this because it is like multitasking. When you are multitasking you can't focus on many things at once because it is hard, and your mind is only focused on one thing. Using your phone while driving will affect driving ability because the driver is reducing their reaction time and attention. The driver's hands will not be on the steering wheel, they won't be focused on driving, and their mind is not focused on the road. This can cause a crash because the driver is not focusing on the road or their surroundings. An example that could occur could be that a driver is texting while driving, and then the car in front is slowing down, but the driver didn't see so a crash can occur. Another example would be that a driver is going at a specific speed, and since the driver is texting a car switches lanes, but the driver didn't see and is going at a higher speed limit than the car who just switched lanes so a crash can also occur. This also connects to reduced visual and manual distractions. Since the driver is focused on the phone the driver has a higher chance of missing a road sign, exit, or even a signal. Texting while driving can increase the chance of a car crash, and this is the cause of unsafe behavior while driving. 
     Another common type of impairment that I believe is common today is drivers who are fatigued. It is always a good idea to get enough sleep the night before because that will allow someone to perform better and this also includes driving! Drowsy driving can affect driving ability because there will be a slower reaction time, decreased alertness, and falling asleep which causes unsafe behavior on the road. When a driver is fatigued the brain isn't processing things as quickly, and the frontal lobe isn't as active. This causes slower decision making, and it takes longer for a driver to react to something. When someone is tired there will be yawning, and the eyes will begin to close so the driver isn't even paying attention to the road which causes an unsafe environment for other drivers. One of the most common things I have seen in drowsy drivers when I am driving is that the car starts getting out of the lanes a lot, and doesn't stay in the middle of the lane. There is also going to be a decrease in alertness because the reticular activation system isn't completely awake. Another thing that affects driving ability while being drowsy is that the driver is tired, and the body will begin to release adenosine which will cause someone to go to sleep. This can cause a driver to fall asleep which will cause a very severe accident. There was a time where I was driving and there was a red light, but then it turned green and all the cars were going besides my lane. I decided to switch lanes because the car in front of me was taking forever, and when I passed the car the driver had fallen asleep. This made me realize I was in an unsafe environment without even knowing. It is important for drivers to get enough sleep in order to reduce unsafe behavior on the road. 
     As a driver I think the most common types of impairments today are texting while driving and drowsy driving which affect driving ability, and applies unsafe behavior.  These impairments create a very unsafe environment because it can cause severe accidents, even causing death. I believe it is very important to be aware and make it known that we should not be texting while driving, or driving drowsy. If someone needs to do something with their phone or is too tired to drive, I think they should go somewhere park, do what they need to do, and then continue with driving. When you are driving you never know what can happen, and it is very critical to be aware of our surroundings. I think everyone should be aware of this because you never know what can happen to you or someone you know. Everyone wants to get home safe or get safe to their destination. We don't want loved ones to get in a severe accident due to texting or drowsy driving. It is scary driving because you never know what can happen to you, and we should all as a community raise awareness in order to create a safe driving environment.