Initially, when I first learned about the term impaired driving, I thought that meant driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, or texting. Further, I thought the word impairment meant complete intoxication, like someone was high, or texting full-length paragraphs on their phone. These impairments are discussed a lot in driver’s education. You become aware of the dangers of driving under the influence and texting. Eventually, you are actually scared to even think of getting behind a wheel under the influence or texting while driving. Even during driver’s education, the discussion and warnings about driving under the influence do not seem applicable or something that a young teen would really worry about. At 15 and ½, I had not even been to a party, let alone a party with alcohol and drugs. How would I even consider this as a real worry or threat? This was a point in the driver education learning that I thought, yeah, yeah, this is obvious, and why would anyone be that dumb? These impairments would not apply to me. I never would be that high or that intoxicated. Being fatigued, however,  never seemed like an impairment to me. I knew I felt tired a lot, but how could that be an impairment? This all changed literally and figuratively for me when I had a major car accident on April 22nd, 2025. At this point, I had been driving for about a year. I felt experienced and knowledgeable, and would have classified myself as a decent driver.  I am a runner, clocking in at running 50 miles on an average week. I live about half an hour away from the school I attend. I had just finished track practice and was following my mom home. We were five minutes from our house when I fell asleep at the wheel, went off the road, hit two mailboxes, and crashed into a telephone pole, splitting it in half. I was impaired. I should not have gotten behind the wheel. I had actually been experiencing a lot of fatigue. Doctors could not figure out what was causing this. My bloodwork always came back fine. Upon reflection, I should have seen fatigue as an impairment equal to driving under the influence. Since then, I have been diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia, which means without medicine, I am in a constant state of exhaustion and sleepiness. While my condition is considered rare, I would like all drivers to understand the seriousness and risks of driving while fatigued. Thankfully, I only had minor injuries, but my accident could have been much more serious. We live in a society that is constantly on the go. Life is demanding and nonstop. We push ourselves even when our bodies are exhausted and tell us to slow down. I think we even feel like we cannot ask for help because we are just tired, it isn’t like we are drunk or high. However, that should not mean that we get behind the wheel of a car if we feel exhausted, and we should treat that feeling as equally and as seriously as intoxication. I now have people I can depend on to help me get where I need to be, and I know that I can make a phone call to get driven somewhere if I need it. I consider myself lucky to have the chance to live and let others know about this danger. Personally, I want to help advocate for safer driving, for not being embarrassed or afraid to ask for help, and to spread the message that impaired driving can look like many different scenarios, all of which are highly dangerous.  People in your life would rather you ask for help than have you risk your life getting behind the wheel while fatigued. I hope that my story and situation can help others understand the severity of driving while sleepy. A sleepy driver is as dangerous as a driver under the influence or a driver using their cellphone. In addition to personal stories, I think driver’s education and training can help change the perspective on impaired driving. Impaired driving is not something that “others” do. It is something that any driver can do daily through texting or being fatigued, and something that could easily happen to any driver. Drivers need to understand the dangers of even small levels of alcohol, one text sent, the effects of even one drug, and how getting behind the wheel while exhausted can be equally dangerous. Driver's education can be a tool we use to help people learn that the word impairment can be something that includes texting, sleepiness, one text, or one drink. We have to spread awareness and help drivers, young and old, understand the dangers of impaired driving. I am actually thankful for my experience so that I can use it for good.