The definition of impaired driving to me means someone is operating a vehicle either under the influence of drugs or alcohol or is distracted in some other way. Such distractions can be using a cellphone for calls and/or texting, fatigue, vehicle passengers, or just not paying attention to your surroundings. Impaired driving is sometimes misunderstood because some people may think that it only involves being under the influence.  
 
Of all these types of impairment, I would say the most common among drivers today has to be texting while driving. I truly believe this because cell phones with texting capability have only been around for the past 20 or so years.  My generation is especially guilty of this because we are glued to our phones so it’s extremely hard to put them away. We may have also grown up watching our parents text and drive, so if they did it then it must be ok right? 
 
Whether the driver is impaired and/or distracted, getting behind the wheel of a moving block of steel that weighs 2,000 pounds or more is never a good idea and never acceptable.  Impairments and distractions affect driving ability simply because the driver is not able to focus at the task at hand - driving that 2,000 block of steel down the road safely. Drivers under the influence or otherwise distracted may not maintain their lane, their speed, or a safe distance between them and other drivers around them.  Being impaired or distracted also reduces the driver’s reaction time.  

Just about two years ago, my mother was involved in a motor vehicle accident.  She is a volunteer firefighter and was heading home from work.  It was a dark, rainy, and cold night when she came upon two vehicles off the side of the road facing the opposite direction. There were no other cars around, so my mother felt a “duty to act” and stopped to see if the other drivers needed help.  Apparently, the lead car had broken down, and the other car was there waiting with the first driver for a tow truck.  

My mother never exited her car and was about to pull away after she confirmed that everything was okay, when she heard one of the other drivers scream.  As a reaction, my mother looked in her rearview mirror only to see and feel another vehicle slam into her with such force that it pushed her car forward a couple hundred feet. That vehicle literally came out of nowhere so the driver must have been going well over the speed limit. My mother said that there was no screeching of tires, so the other driver probably never even hit the brakes, just swerved at the last second trying to avoid her car. 

After my mother’s car was hit, the car that hit her went careening off the road just behind the other vehicles that she had stopped to help. Somehow that driver also missed a telephone pole.  One of the first drivers immediately ran to my mother to see if she was ok. My mother told the driver she wasn’t sure but to please get out of the road so she wouldn’t get hit by any other cars that may come upon the accident scene. 

My mother then called our dispatch center herself to report the accident.  Our whole family is volunteer firefighters so my brother, father, and I all heard the call and immediately responded to the accident scene. It was beyond surreal extricating my own mother from her vehicle and riding with her in the ambulance and taking her vital signs. She was injured and pretty shaken up, but thankfully her car held up extremely well, otherwise, her injuries may have been more severe.  

 

It turns out that the other driver admitted to the State Trooper that he was changing the radio station while driving and never saw my mother even though her brake lights, taillights, and hazard lights were illuminated. Needless to say, that driver was found at fault and was issued a ticket. 

I had obtained my driver's license shortly before my mother’s accident.  Responding to her accident, along with others as a volunteer firefighter since then, has put things into perspective. The accidents I’ve seen have affected the way I drive my own vehicle. I never drive distracted or impaired because I’ve seen the consequences first-hand. I will also never ride as a passenger with a driver that is impaired or distracted. 

I learned about impaired and distracted driving in my Driver’s Ed class. However, it is the real-life experiences that I’ve had which have emphasized those topics. Another example of that is our fire department performed a drill at my high school that simulated a drunk driving accident.  I participated as one of the responding firefighters that had to extricate the driver and the “deceased” passenger from the vehicle.  Even though it was a drill, I truly believe it affected the students because it was so realistic. Hopefully they’ll remember that drill if they ever consider getting behind the wheel while impaired or into a car with an impaired driver. 

Lastly, the role I can personally play in preventing impaired driving is leading by example. My parents did this for me and I’m sure I’ll pass down the same qualities to my future children along with my peers. My friends know that I am a volunteer firefighter, so they are aware of some of the things I’ve seen which are the consequences of driving while impaired or distracted. I hope that by sharing my real-life experiences, others will share in my passion to prevent impaired driving and make safer decisions.