My entire life, when it comes to driving, all I’ve ever heard are warnings. “Don’t drink and drive, Ashby. It’s just not worth it,” my dad repeated hundreds of times. “Driving is dangerous. You have to be aware. You never know what the people around you will do,” my mom cautioned me. Naturally, when it came time for me to learn to drive, I was prepared to be extremely cautious and aware of the road, because that is what I had been taught. Not everyone is lucky enough to have heard those messages throughout their childhood, which causes them to be more likely to participate in impaired driving. 

            Most people would identify impaired driving as being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. While those are certainly examples, other forms of impairment, such as cell phone use, fatigue, or distraction, are underestimated. The irresistible sound of an alert on your phone, the urge to change the radio station, the momentary enjoyment of joking with your friend in the backseat, all pale in comparison to the potentially life altering, or life-ending, consequences they endanger you to. Driving requires split-second reaction time and rational decision making; being impaired in any form impedes upon your ability to drive in the attentive way which is necessary. The choices you make when driving matter. Just one second of distraction, or one unwise decision to drive while impaired, could alter the course of your life, and maybe even someone else’s. 

            When my grandma was about sixteen years old, she was driving alone on a rainy day. Suddenly, she was struck by a drunk driver, and her face slammed into the steering wheel. With no airbags and no seatbelt, the force of the collision caused her to lose all her teeth, resulting in numerous oral operations and mouth issues that have plagued her since the time of the accident until current. The actions of one impaired driver resulted in harm to a teenage girl who has since dealt with the consequences of someone else’s actions for 50 years. 

            Unfortunately, my family’s encounters with car crashes didn’t end with my grandma; when her daughter (my mom) was about seventeen, she experienced an accident of her own. A carefree drive down a back road en route to a football game ended disastrously for my mom and two of her friends. My mom was sitting in the back seat, a boy she was friends with sat in the passenger seat, and they were driven by a girl whom my mom described as always distracted and constantly talking. That lack of focus cost her dearly when she pulled out in front of a semi-truck. The car spun out of control and ended up in a ditch. Again, none of them were wearing seatbelts, which would have prevented the boy in the passenger seat from flying through the sunroof in the way that he did. It might have helped my mom, who was lucky enough to walk away from the accident, after being unconscious for twenty-four hours, with only a concussion. It certainly would have helped the distracted driver, who broke dozens of bones, was in a coma for over a month, and then spent at least another month in the hospital before she could even return home. That seemingly insignificant moment of distraction, on a day that seemed just like any other, spiraled into something that none of them imagined. I can’t speak for the other two survivors, but I do know that my mom has had residual effects on her memory. She struggles to remember events before the accident, and even some following it. 

            Having been told these stories, I am painfully aware of the fact that one moment of distraction can cause a lifetime of regret. I am truly grateful that I know the dangers of driving impaired and can thus let that influence the choices I make while driving. My choices aren’t always perfect; sometimes I check my phone when I shouldn’t, sometimes I am distracted by laughing with my passengers, sometimes I am exhausted or emotional and don’t give my driving the attention it demands. Still, the education I have received throughout my life about impaired driving affects most of my decisions and has given me an awareness that will serve me well. 

            Everyone deserves to receive the same information that I have, and driver’s education or traffic school courses can provide that. I am the driver I am because of the messages that are engraved in my mind, and for the safety of all, it is undeniably important that every driver be taught about the dangers of impaired driving. The more this message spreads, the fewer people who will have their futures altered due to car accidents. I also believe that each of us has a responsibility to influence those around us to make wise decisions. Modeling safe driving behaviors resonates in the minds of your peers, regardless of whether they realize it or not. So, be the designated driver. Turn your phone off while you drive. Don’t let anyone pressure you into making a choice that you might regret for the rest of your life.