The hum of the engine becomes a heartbeat, and every flash of headlights feels like a ghost trailing too close; driving can be a spine-chilling test of control. Losing that control is scarier than anything that I have experienced since the thought of the absence of the essential control of a moving vehicle resonates more and more each day as the roads become more dangerous. Therefore, it is important that drivers make good decisions, before and while driving, in order to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

I started learning how to drive when I was 15 years old, and my mom and dad have told me all of their crazy-road stories, which emphasized the importance of spontaneous good decision making as well as suitable conditions for driving. For example, my mom fell asleep behind the wheel, and ran into a light pole. I know, terrifying, but yes, it happened. Her goal in telling me this story was to warn me about the effects of driving under dangerous conditions, and the risk that it poses to one's safety. Next, my dad illustrated the dangers of long stretches of vast and open road, which was often seen on our trip back from Charleston, South Carolina; the goal: to show how the human mind eventually drifts off when not fully attentive to the situation at hand. This is an example of impaired driving, it hinders one's ability to react to situations accordingly, and most new drives do not understand that sleep deprivation, poor decision making, as well as the environment in which one drives, can all impact their driving. For me, impaired driving is defined as the result of anything that compromises one's safety behind the wheel; it is also something that causes the one behind the wheel to lose control of the moving vehicle. Impaired driving is often misunderstood because recently-licensed drivers associate impaired driving with being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, when, in reality, there are so many more causes of impaired driving. 

The types of most dangerous impairment in modern times include texting and driving under the influence of alcohol. Texting fully distracts the mind from the task at hand, which immediately compromises the safety of others, and in a way, texting can be seen as narcotization to the human mind. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an accident than driving under the influence of alcohol. Driving under the influence is also a problem on the United States' roads because drinking alcohol has become very popular, especially on weekends of celebration as well as in young drivers. People still drive, even if they are intoxicated, even though the blood alcohol content is 0.08%, which puts a lot of other drivers as well as pedestrians at risk. My driver's education school emphasized the need for driving defensively, even if those around you are not texting while behind the wheel or driving under the influence. As for driver's education schools in general, they can highlight the general definition of impairment, as well as provide examples to new drivers on how to be safe in those conditions. For example, quizzes and tests should have situation-based questions about the driving impairment or other drivers, whether its while driving under the influence or texting while driving. By doing this, they will highlight the effects of driving under poor-decisions, and will encourage people to not fall into habits that impair driving. Through this, attitudes about impaired driving will shift dramatically, from being harmless to being life changing, therefore, people will become less involved in driving while impaired, the the roads of the United States will be left safer than ever before. In order to contribute to this social movement, I can heavily encourage my friends to not drive while texting, and I can drive after others have consumed alcohol or drugs. 

Impaired driving will continue to influence our society with its shadow, and will continue to claim lives unless acted upon soon, even with stricter laws and regulations. Therefore, we, as a collective society, need to address the root of this problem of impaired driving. This can be done through emphasizing the effects that texting while driving, fatigue, and driving while under the influence in driving schools in order to dissuade learning drivers' pursuance of these actions. This persuasion of not falling into the "traps" of impaired driving will make our roads safer and a better experience for everyone, creating a protected driving environment for all!