Impaired driving is the act of driving while not being in the normal headspace to make difficult and quick decisions. Driving under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or other substances may be as impactful as driving while severely fatigued or distracted. All of those things diminish your minds ability to make correct judgements, and they lead to quick, impulsive decisions behind the wheel. Sometimes many people misunderstand what "impaired driving" means because they assume that the term only applies when people are impacted by consuming substances. However, this common misconception can impact those who even took driver's education or traffic school. While they are taught that the law prohibits driving under the influence like the misconception infers, they are not educated enough on the effects that fatigue and distractions can have on them. 
    The most common type of impairment that I see today is texting. As a teenager who catches rides with friends, I observe most if not all of them get on their phone at least once while making our commute. texting requires the driver to completely take their eyes off the road, which in turn takes their eyes off of the lives they are in charge of in that moment. I saw the effects of texting while driving first hand. One day when I was driving home from soccer practice, I saw my teammate's car driving in front of me. The road we I home on from practice is very windy and narrow one lane road, so there have been many crashes due to teenagers being distracted. In this particular instance, I watched my teammate cross the double yellow line into the other lane. I watched in horror as another car rounded the bend, making it almost seem cinematic as my teammate's car and the other car were both about to be in a head-on collision. I panicked, wondering if I should honk my horn to get her attention, but I was also wondering why the other car in the lane wasn't honking their own horn at her. In a split second, my teammate looked up and jerked the wheel back over into the correct lane, but my heart was still pounding. I called her as soon as I got home. I asked why she wasn't paying attention, and she responded that she was replying in her work group chat. This situation has made me even more aware of my friends driving after almost watching my friend get into a horrible crash right in front of me. Now, I prefer to drive myself because I set my phone on do not disturb and put it away until I get to my destination. The next most common type of impairment I see today is driving after the consumption of alcohol. While this impairment may not take your eyes off of the road, it makes you unable to make important decisions while driving. Being drunk alters how your brain works, and driving while not being in the normal headspace results in negative consequences which can lead to crashing and possibly dying. Additionally, I read a book a week ago that contained a teenage couple who swore that they were okay to drive home after attending a party where they consumed alcohol, and the girl driving skidded off the road and the boy next to her died. After these experiences and stories, I have become much more appreciative of the adults supporting careful driving in my life. I have learned and felt the consequences of driving impaired, and I know that a phone text and a party is not worth risking my life. 
    Driver's education and traffic school courses can assist in bringing attention to the consequences of cell phone usage during driving. These programs can provide examples to the people learning to drive and show them real-life consequences of driving impaired. It is important to educate younger generations that their lives are more important than looking at a text message while driving. These programs can help teens create boundaries before going into parties or other situations where their driving can be impaired, and this helps them make the right decision by not having to make up their mind in the middle of a tough situation while they are not in the right mindset. 
    My personal role that I can play is by making an impact on my friends who drive me around. I can offer to drive them and set an example for the correct way to drive by putting my phone away and by remaining alert and attentive.