Impaired driving to me means that something is affecting your ability to drive. Whether that is a feeling, an external force, or something else, impaired driving could be the cause of the deaths of thousands. I think a common misconception is that impaired driving is only from drugs or alcohol. I don't think many people realize that even your emotional state can affect your ability to drive not only safely, but also properly. 

I think the most common are fatigue, cellphone use, and alcohol. Fatigue is extremely common due to many people having long work days, and people don't realize how much it takes a toll. Your senses are not only limited, but the urge to go home can both cause rash decision making and put you in dangerous situations. Cellphone use, even for a second, can change everything. With how fast cars are moving and how fast lights turn, anything could happen, and you won't be aware until it's too late. Alcohol, despite how much awareness has been spread, people still don't fully grasp it. Despite how much it takes over your system, people still only view a drink as just a drink. 

A story that changed my life was the day my sister almost died due to someone on their phone. She was turning into the intersection to our neighborhood at a green light when someone rammed into the side of her car. Thankfully, it hit the passenger side. If it had hit her, she would have died. She was in the hospital for so long due to needing stitches in her head, physical therapy, and other things to help her get back to her normal self. From that day on, I refused to look at my phone. I remember how scared my family and I were, and I could never do that to another family. I could never take away someone's loved one like they almost took mine.

Even though I think it usually takes first hand experiences for people to understand the impact of impaired driving, driving school does help set the foundations to start realizing how dangerous it can be. Especially when we consider that lots of people don't know what to do when in that situation, these programs help them know how to properly handle the situation. So many people have no clue how to handle what to do, whether it be a situation where you're impaired and have no one to drive you, driving while impaired, or something different. Being able to know how to handle yourself if something dangerous happens while driving could help not only you, but it can also help someone else you see who is struggling.

My role could be a multitude of things. I could be the reason someone doesn't get behind the wheel, save their life, or de-escalate a situation. In the case of preventing someone from getting behind the wheel, if I notice that someone looks impaired and has car keys in their hand, I can try and warn them about why they shouldn't. Some people just truly need a voice of reason to stop them from making a life-altering decision, and I am willing to be that voice if someone needs it. Often, impaired driving can lead to heartened emotions. This could include sadness, anger, rash decisions, and more. With heightened emotions, this causes someone to not think of the effects that a few moments could completely derail their future. By being there to calm their emotions, they could be more rational. If they are sad, I can help them either be happier or think about other things. If they are angry, I can settle their nerves and make them remember that whatever they are going through is temporary. I can also help them think about how they approach different choices on the road so they don't put themselves in danger.

Even though millions of people are affected by impaired driving, it doesn't have to be that way. If we are to end this danger, we have to work together to educate, train, and inform those around us on not only what impaired driving is, but also how we can prevent it. If we were to put more funds into trying to help people and protect people who could be affected and invest in these programs within our education system, maybe, just maybe, we could change to tide. One less impaired driver is a brighter future for not only themselves, but everyone else on the road.