"I’m sorry to say, but your loved one has been in a serious accident," were the heart-stopping words over the phone. It's every person's worst nightmare for their loved one to be hurt or even killed in a car crash. Carelessness or a lack of understanding often lead to heartbreaking accidents on the road, causing serious injuries and even death. Each year, impaired drivers are behind more than twenty thousand crashes, resulting in countless lives lost and people hurt.

 

  Many drivers think that once they complete Driver's Education and obtain their license, they are fully skilled and knowledgeable about road rules. While the course emphasizes not driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances, it often overlooks other forms of impairment, such as texting or tiredness. There is a widespread notion that impaired driving only relates to drugs or alcohol, but distractions like phones and fatigue can be just as hazardous. Impaired driving can lead to reckless driving habits, such as running red lights, excessive speeding, weaving through traffic, and ignoring traffic laws or signs, all of which can potentially result in a crash. By properly educating drivers about all types of impairments, Driver’s Education and other traffic safety programs could play a critical role in saving lives and reducing the number of vehicle accidents.

 

  Some drivers may not personally associate non-substance related activities like texting or fatigue with impaired driving because they have not experienced the immediate or obvious effects, such as those that come with alcohol or drugs. Just a split second of distraction—BOOM, crash. Looking away from the road for even a few seconds is incredibly dangerous. Texting, for example, creates as much, if not more, distraction than driving under the influence. For instance, reading or sending a text takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, you have essentially traveled the length of a football field without looking. This lack of attention can severely impact your situational awareness, affecting your vision, hand-eye coordination, and cognitive functions—all crucial for safe driving. Anything can happen in a split second.

 

  Phone use while driving has become alarmingly normalized. How often do drivers reflexively pick up their phones by hearing a "buzz," ignoring potential consequences? Our society's heavy reliance on phones—even at high speeds—puts lives on the line just to check a notification.

 

  At 2 a.m., after a long day, my cousin found himself in a ditch, teetering on the edge of a cliff due to driving while fatigued. This experience was a wake-up call that could have been fatal, but it made my family and friends acutely aware of the driving dangers of impairment that most don’t usually consider.

  I also experienced my first car crash on the evening of December 16, 2022. My parents and I were driving on the interstate on our way to pick up my baby sister from my grandparents. As the traffic built up causing us to come to a standstill, the car behind us failed to leave a safe enough distance between us requiring them to swerve left into the shoulder lane. Immediately after, the car behind them slammed into the back of our vehicle, pushing us into the car in front of us. The impact was intense, and we were thrown forward in our seats. We were all shaken and in disbelief about what had just happened. The car that hit us stayed idle for fifteen seconds before taking off into the shoulder lane, making it a hit-and-run accident. Although our car was totaled, we were thankfully not injured. The situation could have been much worse, especially if my baby sister had been with us. I suspect that the driver who hit us might have been distracted by texting or possibly driving under the influence.

 

  Many drivers remain unaware of how dangerous driving impaired can be. Implementing a mandatory Driver’s Education or traffic safety course every ten years could save lives, despite seeming tedious to some. This program should include lectures and real-life simulations to illustrate the dangers of all forms of impairment. Participants would leave better equipped to educate those around them and protect themselves. The program should show real life scenarios and images so that the participants will feel the full force and impact of the accidents and severity that driving impaired may cause. The program should also include guest speakers who have been injured in accidents and were fortunate enough to live another day to tell their story.

 

  Driving under the influence encompasses more than substance abuse—it's also about distractions like texting and fatigue. Preventing these accidents hinges on education and awareness of the profound impact our actions can have. By continuously educating each other, we can make a difference. As a society, we must grasp the dangers of impaired driving. Choose safer options like putting the phone down or calling an Uber. There is always a safer alternative to impaired driving and making the right choice could save a life. 

 

  Both my cousin's story and my own experiences have inspired me to advocate against impaired driving. I aim to discuss these stories with my friends to promote responsible driving and safety. At school, I will convey this message through posters, speeches, and conversations, highlighting the different impairments drivers may encounter and how a single moment can lead to life-altering consequences for themselves or others.