My understanding of impaired driving changed forever when the clock struck 12:00 am, when sirens wailed outside, ambulance lights racing down the street. What had always felt like a scene taken from a movie had suddenly become real. The deep silence of the house shattered  with a jarring ring. I reached for my phone, and my warm blanket suddenly felt like ice against my skin. A cold shiver creeped up my spine as I saw the caller ID. The shaky voice on the other end, mumbled, “He’s gone.” At that moment everything in me froze. My heart pounded, my mind blurred and my voice was trapped in my throat. 

When I arrived at the scene, the world suddenly became loud: the bright flash of the police lights, the blaring ambulance sirens, the white tarp on the pavement, and the brilliant red car now crushed and unrecognizable. Tears rolled down my cheek before I could process the sight.  My cousin who had gone out to celebrate the New Year, had lost control of the car. One of his friends lost his life on impact, and my cousin nearly lost his own. He spent months in a coma, endured  brain surgery, and woke up with memory loss that completely changed who he was. Seeing him hooked up to machines, unable to speak, recognize people is something I will never forget. That night changed the way I think about driving. I realized impaired driving not only destroys the life of the person behind the wheel but it damages families, friendships, and futures.

That night allowed me to understand that many think impaired driving is just driving under the influence, however this term is very broadly understood. Impaired driving is driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, but it is also driving when you are overly tired, distracted, or even dealing with strong emotions. Impaired driving includes anything that affects the driver’s ability to think clearly, react quickly, and be aware of their surroundings. This term is often misunderstood even by those who have completed traffic school or drivers education because of their lack of understanding of how easy it is to become impaired. Many assume that they aren’t “too tired” or “it's just one text” so they are safe to drive. This creates an overconfidence in drivers that just sending that one text or pushing through their tiredness is not a big deal which is what makes impaired driving so dangerous.

Each day many drivers are affected by impairments, such as texting, crying, stress, etc all which make driving unsafe. However alcohol has been and continues to be the most common and deadly type of impairment. Alcohol slows down an individual's reaction time, blurs judgement, and relaxes eye muscles leading to double or blurred vision. Alcohol deprives you from being able to use the main senses needed when driving. Now more than ever adults and teenagers tend to be under the influence when driving. Just like my cousin there are thousands of more teenagers that let themselves be influenced into thinking they are fine and able to drive just a couple minutes or just to go down the street. 

Therefore ever since that night, I am more cautious, more aware, and more intentional behind the wheel. I refuse to drive when I am overly tired, or distracted. I make sure to place my phone on Do Not Disturb while driving. Not only do I make those changes myself but, also help those around me, never letting a friend get behind the wheel if they had been drinking, I speak up. My cousin's accident taught me that behind the wheel I hold the power that can permanently change someone's life. 

So I believe that drivers education and traffic school programs play a huge role in the awareness of safe driving and teaching about how individuals can prevent impaired driving. In the driving programs their focus is not only to teach teenagers the skill of how to drive, who gets to turn first or what each sign means but,  it allows them to see driving as more than a skill. It teaches them that driving is a commitment to their safety, those around them, and those with them. Driving school implements in them the necessary skills to be able to judge when to drive and when not to. Allowing them to be able to understand that when they get behind the wheel they assume the responsibility of their life and those around them.