To me, impaired driving means any situation where a driver’s safe decision making abilities are weakened. This could be through alcohol, drugs, texting, fatigue, or even overconfidence. I think people often misunderstand this because we grow up hearing about drunk driving so much that we start to treat “impaired” as if it only applies to alcohol. I have listened to countless presentations on the dangers of drunk driving, and I know many of my peers have as well. Even people who have been through driver’s education or traffic school sometimes believe that if they’re not drinking, they’re fine. But impairment can come from many places, and some of them feel so “normal” that people forget how dangerous they really are.

From what I’ve seen, the most common impairments today aren’t alcohol or drugs, they’re texting and fatigue. During my internship at my District Attorney’s office, I learned that my generation actually drinks less alcohol than any generation before us. That doesn’t mean we’re safer though, the risks have simply shifted. 

My generation is constantly distracted by cell phones, something that many older generations did not have to deal with. Texting is everywhere and always available, so it feels harmless even though it completely destroys a driver’s focus. To me, fatigue is worse because it is invisible. Until my internship, I never knew that being exhausted can slow your reaction time as much as alcohol can. After being awake for 24 hours straight, the brain functions as if you were drunk. Police officers, firefighters, and doctors drive like this all the time, but no one talks about it. Even my friends, as students, have pulled all-nighters and drove to school the next day. There’s no big public stigma, no commercials, no “don’t drive tired” bracelets. People don’t treat it as a real form of impairment, even though it truly is.

There was one moment during my internship that completely changed how I think about impaired driving. We watched a video about a young woman whose parents were killed in a crash caused by a driver who was texting. The crash left the woman paralyzed. What happened next stood out to me: she spoke to a group of young drivers who casually said they didn’t really care about driving impaired or thought it “wasn’t a big deal.” Then, the program asked those drivers to repeat those words directly to the person who had been significantly affected by this, look them in the eyes, and say, “I don’t care.” Every single person froze. Seeing the impact face-to-face changed them instantly. Watching that made me rethink how personal responsibility works behind the wheel. Then, I promised that I will strive to never be the person whose moment of carelessness becomes someone else’s lifelong trauma.

I think driver’s education and traffic school can be powerful when they move beyond rules and statistics and actually show real stories like the one I saw. The most effective programs are the ones that truly hit a student’s heart. When you hear from people who have lived through the consequences, or when you watch someone realize that their choices affect real families, it stops people from thinking that it could never happen to them. Programs that emphasize hands-on scenarios, emotional impact, and the long-term effects of seemingly “small” decisions tend to stick with people in real-world situations.

As for my own role, I think preventing impaired driving starts with the way I choose to act and the way I talk about it with others. Because of my internship and what I’ve learned, I can explain to my friends that impaired driving is about the distraction, exhaustion, and the pressures we all feel to multitask. When I see that one of my friends is really sleepy, I offer them a ride home so that they do not get into an accident. When I refuse to text while driving or call out unsafe behavior, I’m setting a standard. I can also share the story I watched at the DA’s office, because sometimes people need to understand the human cost before they care. I want to raise awareness about the dangers of fatigue while driving, and I believe that an important step is telling people that driving after being awake for many hours is dangerous for everyone, and no amount of Celsius or coffee can change that.

In the end, I’ve learned that preventing impaired driving means understanding the responsibility you hold every time you get behind the wheel. And that awareness can make all the difference, not just for me but for the people around me.