To me, impaired driving means getting behind  the wheel and driving when you shouldn't be. You are putting yourself and others in dangerous situations that can easily be avoided. I feel like this is a topic that can be misunderstood by drivers who completed drivers education or traffic school because it isn't always a reckless driver from illegal drugs or drinking. Sometimes it's from prescription drugs that haven't fully been out of your system and can still make you drowsy or tired when driving. Sometimes you aren't even aware that the medication is still in effect and you decide to drive because of that. However, there are other times people are just willing to take a chance that they shouldn't. There is a difference between being confident in your driving abilities and being irresponsible. 

        I believe the most common impairment among drivers today is distraction. Although there are unfortunately still drunk drivers  on the roads, I feel like it is less common  because now we can just Uber whenever we need a ride. But people are always getting distracted on their phones. They believe that the text they are trying to send is more important than a life that can be lost. It is because of childish decisions like this that we are increasing fear in letting our loved ones begin to drive and why the crash rates have increased. Driver's education can help change attitudes and behaviors about impaired driving by exposing us to the difficult truths about driving that we might try to avoid. Although driving gives you the ability and freedom to go wherever you want without relying on someone else, it still is a big responsibility and requires you to make the choice of being responsible for someone else's life. I heard many stories when I attended drivers education about families who lost loved ones in fatal crashes. We even had guest speakers come in to talk to us about their experiences such as one woman who was in a crash and survived. Although these are frightening things to hear and become aware of, it is something we all need to know. 

         Sometimes  being an impaired driver  isn't from alcohol, drugs, or medications  but from medical conditions. It doesn't have to be fatal to impair your driving. Something as simple as a flu or headache can cause you to not pay as much attention to the road as you would if you didn't have those symptoms. People don't realize the seriousness of the penalties of impaired driving. Not only can it lead to a lot of preventable accidents, but it can also cause you to potentially get your licence revoked or substantial financial costs. If you're not feeling well, get someone else to drive you or have medication delivered to you so you don't have  to drive when you shouldn't  be. 

         The role that we can play in preventing impaired driving is becoming more aware of ourselves and our decisions and encouraging others to do the same. When we take a prescription, we should look at the directions and read how long it will be in effect so we know when we can safely drive again. We shouldn't be texting when driving, limit distractions, and avoid  alcohol consumption especially when you know that you are the one getting behind the wheel. Do not get in the car with people that can distract you and focus on what is ahead and around you. Some things can wait but your life and others cant

         SImething we can do to encourage others to be safe drivers and avoid impaired drivers is to share stories of experiences and harsh realities of driving. These stories might be a little terrifying and make you anxious to get behind the wheel, but being a little anxious about something is good.  It would make you more aware of what is around you and avoid possible accidents. Additionally, if we see someone who is driving while looking at their phone or is swerving in and out of lanes like they're not paying attention, we should get as far away from them as possible and try our best to inform other drivers to do the same. 

          Impaired driving  is something we should all gain knowledge and awareness  of in order  to prevent it from happening  again. There are a lot of factors that contribute to it and make  it such a complex  but easily avoidable idea. It is important that we spread awareness of this topic to help better ourselves and others as well as preventing any accidents  that could be causing from impaired driving