Driving safety should be a top priority within this country.  So many deaths occur from driving related accidents every year and in almost every accident, one of the two drivers is impaired, or if it is a solo accident that driver is most likely impaired.  To me, impaired driving means driving behind the steering wheel with something or someone hindering you driving to the best of your ability.  That can go from alcohol fogging your judgement to your phone distracting you, from the road ahead of you, to you being too tired to be alert behind the wheel, all the way to not having the proper training to operate a vehicle.  It is misunderstood since people believe being impaired is just drinking or drugs.  However, impaired is you not having your whole attention faced towards the task at hand, driving.  This certainly includes drinking and drugs, but it also includes your phone, sometimes the radio, and even you just turning your head to look at the person you are talking to or to view an accident on the other side of the road.  Yes, those are little habits we do behind the wheel on a day to day basis and don’t even realize we are doing it, but in technicality that is considered being impaired behind the wheel.  Fatigue is also a kind of impairment since you are not fully alert behind the wheel and could be nodding in and out of consciousness.  This can lead to many dangers including swerving off the road.  The most common impairment in today's world is texting or using a phone. This is because everyone thinks glancing at your phone once and awhile won’t hurt and will not have any impact.  Also almost every person that operates a vehicle also owns a phone and there are so many phone stands available for sale that allow you to see your phone at all times during your drive.  Most accidents happen when something unexpected happens in the split of a second, that second you were looking at your phone.  A car can easily cut you off or merge into your lane very fast and you have to be alert and in control of your car to be aware of these issues and make split second reactions to these events.  I have heard many stories of people dying behind the wheel from phone usage. My dads co-worker passed away behind the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic trying to send a text.  That phone took his life and also plenty of other lives.  Also this is a common issue because in today's society everybody has a phone and it is an essential part of daily life.  So when it comes to driving people don’t know when to put the phone down since society as a whole is conditioned to always have their phone on them.  I've also heard plenty of stories of drivers operating a vehicle without even having their license.  3 kids died, including one that goes to my school, because a 15 year old was behind the wheel.  Him being behind the wheel without the proper training to operate a car led to him being impaired and ultimately causing 3 teenagers to parish.  Growing up I never thought of being impaired as more than just drinking, but as I've grown older and experience more in life, impaired is just way beyond drinking and most drivers are often impaired as their full attention is mostly never attentive to the roadways.  Today's driving schools can help limit the impairment of drivers by better explanation.  Teach them the proper definition of impairment which is not having full attention towards your driving ability.  Tell them to lock their phone away in the glove-box, don’t get in the car after drugs or drinking.  Finally, they can talk to them about the impact their life can have by doing these things behind the wheel.  You can get fined a hefty amount for these violations plus possible jail time for the severity of these actions.  Threatening these life changing scenarios will cause the new driver to pay more attention to the dangers of impaired driving and they will focus on stay unimpaired instead of just brushing it off and saying things like “being on the phone won’t distract me" and “I’m still in good condition to drive after drinking”.  I could personally play a part in this by talking to my younger family members and showing them how to drive in a safe and responsible manner and not get themselves or others hurt by their impairment behind the wheel.  Pass down the traumatic stories I have heard of impairment behind the wheel and make sure they understand the severity of driving impaired can cause.  While impairment is definitely drinking and driving, just distracting activities is impairment and you have to be aware of all those actions to make sure you stay out of dangerous scenarios.