Impaired driving is any kind of driving which is impaired. While the term DUI has become synonymous with drunk driving, it means so much more. It means to be driving under the influence of any substance such as marijuana, sleeping pills, or any other legal/illegal substance that can impair your ability. It also means being too tired to drive safely, or being distracted by your phone/infotainment system. However, the issues with alcohol are far more prevalent in media. Additionally, nobody says “weed driving” or “Drug driving.” The term “drunk driving” is what people think of when talking about driving impaired. Even in driving school, the main influence that is taught about is alcohol. Some also talk about avoiding driving tired, but that is a far lesser concern when teaching driving school. Drivers hear this teaching and focus on just the alcohol. They ignore or are ignorant to the other kinds of impairments that can get in the way of safe driving. 
The most common type of impairment today is distracted driving. The prevalence of phones in society and infotainment displays in cars greatly encourages it. People start to develop a dependence on these devices. Drivers who text at stoplights or punch in directions to their displays while on the road become more likely to engage in these behaviors while driving. When you are on your phone or the screen built into your car while driving, you are not paying attention to the road and the situations around you. The road is a dangerous place that requires careful and constant attention to avoid injury or death. Being distracted even for a few seconds can cause crashes very easily. It also makes it more likely for the person to start drifting lanes, miss a stop sign, or hit a pedestrian. The worst part about these behaviors is that people who engage in them become complacent. Nothing goes wrong most of the time, so they become used to being able to engage in this behavior. But it only takes one time to hurt or kill many people. 
While I never experienced or heard any particularly memorable stories about driving drunk, my parents imparted some wisdom to me that I found to be very helpful. A car is like a power tool, a knife, or a gun. While it can be a very useful and convenient tool, it requires respect. It requires your full and sober attention to avoid getting hurt or hurting others. That explanation has stuck in my head since. A car is a two-ton hunk of metal which can travel at up to one hundred miles an hour. As the driver, you are in control of this two-ton metal which is going at sixty miles an hour on the highway. When I think about vehicles this way, they become something that commands my active respect and attention more than the simple word “vehicle.” 
Driver’s education holds the responsibility of being the primary vehicle through which people learn about the risks and dangers of driving. Right now, they harp on the dangers of driving drunk and hammer the idea of having a plan to avoid drunk driving. This is good, but its not enough. Driver’s education should spend more time showing the dangers of the other common influences, such as sleep and texting. They should impart the important knowledge that anyone can be a victim of impaired driving. That knowledge and understanding helps prevent future impaired driving and future tragedies. Current driver’s education impaired driving programs are designed, to a greater or lesser degree, to scare future drivers. 
One of the easiest ways I can play a small but important role is by being a good driver. That means that I don’t use my phone while driving, whether the car is moving or not. That means not playing with the infotainment display that has been built into the car. There is a certain amount of “monkey see, monkey do” when it comes to human behavior. Other drivers seeing a good drivers are likely to drive better. I can also encourage people that I know to drive better, which can have a sort of butterfly effect on the world around me. It’s important to show that good driving is fairly easy and that good drivers do exist. With marijuana becoming more and more socially accepted, I can encourage people I know to make plans in the same way they would if they were drinking. I can be the designated driver for those who know me. Even in little ways, I can promote safety and be helpful.