More than half of my senior class raised their hand when the presenter asked, “Who has been in a car accident?” He then started calling on certain people who were raising their hands in the audience to hear what had happened in their experience. Many of them said they had a friend or multiple friends in the vehicle at the time of the accident. It is becoming increasingly popular for people to not pay attention to the road because they are busy talking to their peers also in the vehicle.

Impaired driving could mean anything: drugs and alcohol, phone usage, or sleep deprivation. To me, impaired driving is simply anything that can take your eyes or concentration from the road. Whether that is the loopy hallucinations of being on LSD or looking at the blinding advertisements strung along the side of the highway at night, if it takes your eyes off the road for even a second, it is an impairment. During these few seconds, you could be going hundreds of feet without looking at the road. You could be slightly drifting into the next lane over or possibly not see the deer that just ran into the road to get to the apple orchard just twenty feet away. “Letting Jesus take the wheel” is not nearly enough when it is your or others' lives in danger.

One reason impaired driving is misunderstood, even by those who have completed driver’s education or traffic school, is that people often think impairment only refers to alcohol. Due to the heavy stereotype of drunk drivers inflicted on society, many other impairments are lessened in importance. A teenager might believe that sending a quick message at a red light isn’t dangerous or that driving home after pulling an all-nighter is manageable. Yet both situations are forms of impairment. Driver’s education sometimes struggles to break through these misconceptions because students may not take the lessons seriously, or they assume the warnings are exaggerated. In reality, impairment is broader and more sinister than many realize.

The most common impairments today are alcohol, drugs, phone usage, and fatigue. Alcohol and drugs alter perception and slow reaction times, making it harder to judge distances or respond to sudden hazards. Phone usage is arguably the most widespread issue among both young and experienced drivers. Texting, scrolling through social media, or even changing music divides attention in ways that are just as dangerous as intoxication. Fatigue is another silent threat; driving while exhausted can mimic the effects of alcohol, leading to delayed reflexes and lapses in judgment. Each of these impairments contributes to unsafe behavior, whether it’s drifting into another lane, failing to yield, or missing a stop sign entirely.

Back in sophomore year, our school and other schools in the area had the entire class go to a presentation at the Fox Valley Performing Arts Center. This presentation altered how I saw motorized vehicles and even sort of scared me into not using them. The performance contained multiple skits of life-changing events that could happen to us teenagers once we get behind the wheel. One of these sketches was about texting and driving. There I learned that even half a second of not having your eyes on the road could be crucial as to if you survive or not. Because of this, I now carefully consider who is allowed into my car and the actions that can happen while I’m driving.

Driver’s education can help change attitudes by broadening the definition of impairment and showing its real-world consequences. I recall back in health class in my freshman year of high school we were allowed to try drunk goggles. Nobody there was able to walk in a straight line with them on. Having that effect on you while driving is life-threatening to yourself and others on the road. When students experience how difficult it is to stay in control under impairment, the lesson becomes unforgettable. These courses also emphasize the legal consequences of impaired driving, such as fines, license suspension, or even jail time. But perhaps most importantly, they highlight the moral responsibility of protecting lives. By framing impaired driving as not just a personal risk but a community issue, driver’s education encourages students to switch to safer habits. What makes these programs effective is their ability to connect abstract rules to everyday situations. For example, teaching students how to resist peer pressure when friends encourage risky behavior or showing them how to set their phones to “do not disturb” while driving provides practical strategies they can use immediately. These lessons stick because they are relevant to the challenges drivers face in real life, not just theoretical warnings.

Personally, I believe I can play a role in preventing impaired driving by modeling responsible behavior. When I put my phone away before starting the car, I set an example for my peers. If I see someone about to drive impaired, I can intervene by offering alternatives like volunteering to be the designated driver. Sharing the stories I’ve heard and the lessons I’ve learned can also influence others to think twice before making unsafe choices. My knowledge from driver’s education gives me the confidence to explain why even small distractions matter and how the consequences extend beyond the driver to passengers, pedestrians, and other motorists.

In conclusion, impaired driving is not limited to alcohol or drugs; it includes any factor that takes attention away from the road. It is misunderstood because many drivers fail to recognize these subtler forms of impairment. Real stories of accidents highlight the importance of awareness and responsibility, reminding us that anyone can be vulnerable. Driver’s education and traffic safety courses are incredible tools for changing attitudes through the means of teaching. In all, each of us has a role to play in preventing impaired driving. Through diligence, we can protect lives and make our roads safer for everyone.