Impaired driving is to me, driving in a weakened state due to something; be it alcohol, drugs, lack of concentration or quickness in reaction. It is when your mind or body is not in the good state to be able to be on track and drive safely. The interpretation of impaired driving is a wrong understanding by many individuals, as they usually assume impaired driving to be drunk driving or under the influence of drugs. Even drivers who have attended driver education or traffic school can forget the fact that even when too tired, emotional or distracted by the phone, one can be equally as dangerous. They might also think that since they do not feel bad or they just had one drink, they can still drive safely. But impairment is not necessarily immediately felt, it can influence speed of reaction and decision-making and coordination in odd (killing on the road) ways.

Alcohol and drug use, texting or any other distracted driving, as well as fatigue are the most prevalent impairment types in drivers to date. Alcohol is still among the major causes of fatal accidents since it slows down the speed of the reflexes and it affects judgment. Impairment that is caused by drugs, be it by prescription or the illegal ones, may change perception and coordination and drivers may find it difficult to control their cars. Nevertheless, distracted driving, in particular, texting while driving is also a problem as grave in recent years. Drivers do not even care how much time they spend when they look at a message and fail to notice that after a few seconds they may get into an accident. Another impairment that is noisy, but dangerous is fatigue. Excessive fatigue among drivers also causes lapses in their concentration thus reducing their response speed and even sleep at the wheel. All these types of impairments have a single commonality, they deprive individuals of the full attention and awareness to drive safely.

One of the stories that influenced my whole outlook on impaired driving was the death of one of my classmates in an automobile crash. He was being driven by an alcohol and drug driver. It was a tragedy of which no one could have dreamed. My classmate was among the brightest individuals I knew, he had just been accepted in Duke University under a full scholarship and he had so great a future ahead of him. We all liked his drive and compassion and we were all eager to see what he would achieve. When we heard the news of his death in the school, it was something unreal. It was not just one more statistic, but a person we knew, a person with dreams, friends and a life ahead of him. This experience turned my perspective on impaired driving a hundred and eighty ways upside down. It taught me that a single irresponsible act, such as driving under the influence, can ruin the lives of not just one person, but a whole community. Now, whenever I make a decision, I am thinking twice before making it about driving and never hesitate to say anything to a person around me when they are about to drive under the influence.

Traffic safety education and driver training are also very much needed in terms of modifying the attitudes of people towards impaired driving. It is not merely the rules of the road that these programs teach but rather responsibility and awareness and the actual results of bad choices. Simulations, videos and discussions give students an idea of what can occur when drivers are distracted or impaired. They get to know that car accidents are not only figures in the screen, but they are life-changing events that may cause changes in families, friends, and communities. The effectiveness of these courses is that they do not just impart knowledge but are also emotional. They do not simply tell people not to drink and drive, but how it is hazardous using real life stories, experiments and exercises to prove how impairment affects reaction times and coordination. The students would tend to make safer choices in future when they become emotionally attached to such lessons.

In my opinion, I will be able to make a personal contribution to the prevention of impaired driving by being a responsible and informed driver. It begins with the challenge of leading by example, not texting and driving, arranging a driver on demand, and urging my friends to do the same. In case a person I know appears fatigued, angry or intoxicated, I would rather confront or volunteer to drive as opposed to being involved in an accident. I can also tell other people what I learned during my driver education, make them realize that any distractions or a feeling of exhaustion will cause tragedy. I can use the process of spreading awareness to persuade people to think before driving under the influence of impairment.

Finally, it is a collective responsibility to avoid drunk driving. Through driver education, we are provided with the knowledge but how we use it is up to us whenever we are on the road. When driving is regarded as a privilege rather than a daily routine, we begin to realize just how much focus, rest and responsibility play such an important role. Even safe choices count, it can be a simple act of putting phone away or getting more sleep or even deciding not to drive after a drink. We can all contribute towards saving our lives and ensuring the roads are safer to us all through awareness, education and personal responsibility.