While sitting in the driver's seat, assuming everyone on the road is using common sense to not drive while impaired can be dangerous. Sharing the road with other drivers requires you to be aware of other drivers and make sure you are traveling at a safe speed and distance. You never know if you're sharing the road with someone who is driving while impaired. Impaired driving is dangerous and one of the main causes of preventable deaths. Impaired driving can consist of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, cell phone distractions, and driving while fatigued. Just participating in one of these activities of impaired driving can cause unsafe driving, distraction, delayed response time, negatively influence others, and increase the chances of life changing consequences.

       To me, the meaning of impaired driving consists of more than just the use of drugs and alcohol while appearing in a vehicle. I believe one of the biggest issues of impaired driving amongst young people is the distractions from cell phones. As a football player, I know how long it takes to run the ball down the length of the football field. Did you know that it only takes 4.6 to 5 seconds of looking at a text message while driving 55mph to travel the same length of that football field? In that short time it took to read a text message a collision or even death could have occurred. Reading that text or taking that call is just not worth it.
  
       I believe that fatigue is one of the most common issues of impairment amongst drivers today. There's a lot of education to not drink and drive. Often if alcohol is consumed at a party, friends and family will step in to take the keys or offer a safe ride home because it is more common to see if someone is visibly under the influence of drugs and alcohol. However, it is a little more difficult to visually tell if someone is tired. Operating a vehicle under the impairment of fatigue can be dangerous and increase the risk of falling asleep at the wheel. Driving while fatigued contributes to the unsafe driving behavior because it also decreases your reaction time. A car could suddenly stop in front of you, and an animal could run into the street. If you are impaired by fatigue driving your slow reaction time is comparable to being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It's better to let someone else drive or find a safe place to pull over to rest.

       I have personal experience with impaired driving education and knowledge. Both my parents had friends who were hospitalized in high school due to an alcohol related accident. They taught me even before I was driving that these dangerous actions were completely preventable. Both my parents have always communicated with me that I should never get into the car with someone who was impaired by drugs or alcohol. Even if I rode there with them I didn't get in the car, I could call my parents and have a safe ride home. They taught me that if I ever ended up at a party and consumed alcohol to never drive home. Even if I had driven my truck there, I could call my parents and have a safe ride home. These have always been conversations that my parents have openly had with my siblings and I. Of course they encourage us to make good choices, not to consume alcohol underage and be fully alert while driving. But they have also taught us that peer pressure can happen and plans can change. We know that our parents will always be available for a no questions asked safe ride home. Unfortunately I've noticed a lot of my friends don't have the same close relationship with their parents. So when I was at prom last year and I noticed a few friends that drove to prom made some poor choices to drink alcohol, I immediately tried to prevent one bad decision from turning worse. I offered those friends a safe, sober ride home, no questions asked. I made one call to my parents letting them know I might be home a little past curfew because I was getting a few people home who needed a safe ride. They understood and I'm thankful for that, and that I was in a position to prevent a friend from impaired driving.

       Drivers education and traffic courses from my experience have always educated drivers about the dangers of impaired driving. I feel like it would be beneficial to have a hands on lesson perhaps available at the DMV. I strongly believe that if there was a way for new drivers to experience how much could go wrong in the quick second it takes to read a text that they would make better driving choices and not drive impaired. Electronics and video games seem to be popular with younger, new drivers. If there was a driving booth in DMV offices that mimicked what it's like to be driving impaired I think it would help open people's eyes to how dangerous distracted driving can be.

       I can personally play a role in preventing impaired driving by always being a safe ride home. I will always do my best to not let friends or family drive home if they are impaired by alcohol. If I'm ever in a situation where I know drinking may be present I can remind friends and family to make plans before they arrive to get a safe ride home. I can also help others make safer decisions by setting a good example. If I drive, there is no drinking. I can set the example to never get in a vehicle with someone who is impaired by drugs or alcohol. Perhaps one of the biggest examples is to use the knowledge I have of how dangerous the distractions of cell phones can be while driving and choose to not text while driving. It only takes a split second to ruin your future, the text can wait.