For me, the term “impaired driving” means driving distracted. The obvious culprits of distracted driving are texting, talking on the phone, or any type of cell phone use while operating a vehicle. But there are many more distractions that can occur when operating a vehicle leading to impaired driving. As a young driver, I am very aware of these distractions as they can cause worry and panic while driving. There was one time when the GPS was taking me to the wrong location so I had to make changes to my route mid-drive. Another time when I was on my way home from school and running late so my mom kept calling me and calling me. And another when I spilled my drink in the center console and worked to clean the area quickly. All of these distractions were only seconds, but horrible things can happen in only seconds. I learned this hard lesson about ten years ago when a horrible tragedy occurred in my local community. Tragedy struck within seconds and that story has influenced my views on impaired driving.  

In 2016, my local community was impacted when a teenage driver struck and killed an educator, Dr. Steve Mayer, and his beloved dog while he was out for his morning jog. It was a road I drove on often with my family, no twisty turns or cause for driving concern. After the accident, when we traveled on this road, I would hear my parents recounting the horrible details of the tragedy as I sat in the back seat of the car.  After Dr. Mayer’s death, the local community was devastated. Beloved by the community, bumper stickers adorned cars with his message, “Make Someone’s Day Today.” At the time of the accident, driving a car wasn’t even in my sights, but I remember how those images and questions weighed on my mind at this young age. It really changed the way I thought about driving. Prior to the accident, I thought of driving as a way to get from one place to another. I was very fortunate in my young life to never have been in an accident, not even a fender bender. So when I learned of this accident, I thought about driving on a whole new level. The responsibility of driving safely weighed on me heavily, so when I got my license I was truly committed to not driving impaired. However, I quickly learned that most teenagers do not have the same level of concern as I do.

One day while at home, I got a Facetime call from my friend. I picked up and we got to talking. After a few minutes though, I realized she was calling me from her car while driving. When I realized this, I was pretty shocked. I knew the dangers of distracted driving. I quickly wrapped up the call, but my concern continued, who would she be calling next? It was clear my friend did not see this call as impaired driving. She was on hands-free, but I knew the dangers. Even hands-free is dangerous. If this friend was doing this, how many of my friends thought this was acceptable? I started to notice other things, like friends using voice to text to send messages and friends grabbing their phone to open music apps to listen to music.  Knowing something horrible could happen in those few seconds. It was important for me to share the tragedy that changed my view, and one by one, I have shared the story of Dr. Mayer. I truly hope these conversations have made them think before engaging in impaired driving. 

As we approach the ten-year anniversary of Dr. Mayer’s death, for the public it may seem like a distant memory, but it shouldn’t be. Keeping the tragic death of Dr. Mayer at the forefront of our minds is critical if we want to enact change related to impaired driving, especially for teenagers who are still beginners. I think it is difficult for people to recall this tragedy because it was truly a horrific accident, but if we don’t remember and reflect, then we won’t change our behaviors related to impaired driving. Acknowledging the tragic event that occurred due to impaired driving and remembering Dr. Mayer’s message to “Make Someone’s Day Today” could save lives in the future. I know hearing this story changed how I drive, and I truly believe hearing this story or other stories like it could change the driving habits of many.