One of the most common things people think of regarding impaired driving is being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This prevents you from making split second decisions that could mean life or death. Not only for the driver, but also those around them. Other drivers, or even just pedestrians who are walking near the street could easily become victims. People may not even realize they are driving impaired on the daily, but chances are they are. Things like messing with the infotainment system, eating the food you picked up, or just being tired can impair a driver. 

Back in 2013, the studio owner of my dance studio The Pointe Dance Studio was tragically killed in a hit and run accident by a drunk driver. She was a woman who was full of life, just getting started with her studio, and only starting to have an impact on the young dancers she coached. As a six year old, it was extremely hard to understand how something so tragic could have happened to someone so sweet. I didn’t learn until years later that the man that killed her was under the influence. It's upsetting to know that something as major as taking a life could have been easily prevented, had different decisions been made. Therefore I believe it is extremely important to understand all of the ways that drivers could be driving impaired, even if it isn’t something people would think of as impaired driving. 

Think about the last time you were driving. Chances are you changed the song you were listening to, whether that means changing the station off a button on your steering wheel, picking up your phone to choose a different song, or even changing a CD. While this might not seem like a big deal, it requires looking away from the road. This is hard for many people to understand is impaired because people think of it as something that goes with driving. This is misunderstood by those who take drivers education classes because it is part of the driving process, as people are often always listening to music, a podcast, or maybe even the news while driving.

Less specifically, your phone can be a distraction while driving. There are many different distractions on your phone. You could just be using maps to get to your destination, answering a phone call, or checking a quick text message. However all of these things take your attention from the road to the device. Even if your phone is displayed on your infotainment screen with things like apple carplay and android auto, it still causes you to look away from the road. This can be hard for people to understand because it can be built into the car. However it still creates a distraction when you look away from the road. 

Another thing that can cause impaired driving is eating. This can be hard to understand because things like drivethroughs allow you to be given your food in your car, meaning the food is already in the car with the person. Something like looking down to pull a fry out of a bag, unwrap a burger, or putting your straw in your drink causes you to look away from the road. Even if you are still looking at the road while eating, some of your attention is taken away, even if you believe it is not. If you are eating while driving, that often means that you only have one hand on the steering wheel which can be bad if something happens. If you need to use your blinker, or if something happens in front of you that you have to react to, one hand on the wheel can prevent you from doing so.

Distracted driving can also be from just being tired. People driving home from long shifts, leaving for work early in the morning, or spending hours in the car driving to a vacation spot could be impaired and not even be aware of it. Being tired can slow down your reaction time, just like being under the influence can. Also depending on how tired you are, if you are drifting off it could be extremely dangerous for people to fall asleep at the wheel. While you may believe that it will be okay and you just want to get where you're going, it can be extremely dangerous. In 2023 there were 633 deaths from accidents relating to driving while tired (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). This number shows that while it is something you might not think about as dangerous, it is something more drivers need to make sure they are aware of to keep themselves, their passengers, and outside people safe.

Next time you are out driving, you need to think about and make sure that all of your attention is focused towards the road. If it is not then you are putting not only yourself but also others at risk. It is better to be more cautious than you feel you need to be, because you never know when something unexpected might happen, and as the driver you need to be ready to react to it in the best way possible.