Impaired driving to me means operating a vehicle while your ability to drive safely is compromised, this could mean factors of alcohol, other drugs, tiredness, distractions, and in some cases some medical situations. Often “impaired driving” is misunderstood by many drivers who assume impaired means that the driver is drunk. The two are often confused by people who have taken driver’s education or traffic school because they have somewhat similar definitions. However impaired driving groups many different categories as mentioned before. In terms of impairment texting and fatigue are leading causes of accidents for young drivers, especially those who have just recently gotten their licenses, ages 15-20. In terms of fatal car accidents today, alcohol impairment is the leading cause. Texting affects your driving by causing you to take your eyes off the road for an increased period of time. From reading the text to trying to respond can cause you to miss up to three football fields on the road and more. Texting contributes to unsafe behavior by distracting you from the task at hand which is driving and keeping you as well as others on the road safe. Fatigue also contributes to extremely unsafe behavior by causing the driver to fall asleep behind the wheel and under some extreme circumstances will cause fatal car accidents. More than 60% of adults have admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel. Younger drivers ages 16-24 are nearly two times as likely to be involved in a drowsy driving crash as adults aged 40-60. My dad is a firefighter, he was allowed to share a particular call he went on many years ago about an 18 year old who had just gotten his motorcycle license earlier that day, he decided he wanted to celebrate by drinking with a few of his friends and then going on a joy ride with a group of other motorcyclists, not wearing proper protective gear, the 18 year old misjudged how far away a turn was because he was impaired and ended up clipping a car that was around the corner going nearly double the speed limit. He was thrown from his bike and suffered major internal and external injuries that ultimately ended his life. A few years ago there was a group of teenagers in my neighborhood who were coming home late from a party. Their designated driver went to the party with them and was supposed to hang out around the  living room and wait to take the group of teens home. However he was pressured into drinking by a few of his friends from the sport he played in high school. The party ended and everyone was headed home. They got back to his car and he failed to let them know he was impaired, they were driving in the neighborhood around a sharp turn going extremely fast. The group of kids crashed into a tree and an electrical box, instantly killing the driver, only causing minor injuries to the other passengers. From a young age I was taught about the dangers of driving while impaired, the stories that my dad came home with only reinforced the idea of being incredibly careful behind the wheel. I believe that drivers education and traffic schools can further discuss just how much harm can be done when driving impaired, they can reinforce the difference between drunk driving and impaired driving and help younger drivers to understand the weight of their decisions when they choose to drive while not fully capable as they are not only putting their own lives at risk but everyone else's on the road as well. By enforcing minor punishments around impaired driving I think that young drivers will begin to understand the weight around driving while not fully capable. I am 17 and as I am going away to college next year, I’m positive there will be young adults making not very smart choices while they are impaired. I can be the designated driver in every situation, I want my friends/family to be safe so if someone is incapable of driving or is at risk of putting their lives and others lives in danger, I want to be there to make sure they get to a safe place. Growing up with a firefighter as my dad, I understood the dangers of driving impaired before I even had my permit, I was incredibly aware of just how dangerous driving is even when you aren’t under any influence. Being aware is what can keep us safe in every driving situation, wearing your seatbelt, and always having a plan. Hopefully, by explaining the dangers of impaired driving to as many people I know, I can help to save lives and keep the people I love as safe as possible.