Wake up !!

Many people believe that impaired driving is a thing of the past, something society no longer needs to worry about. But the contrary is still a significant and relevant topic; it is still one of the most common ways Canadians perish, due to new and old forms of impaired driving, such as drug use, drinking and driving. In today’s society, the three most common forms of impaired driving are alcohol, drug use and texting. 

When impaired driving is discussed, we often associate it with drinking and driving, meaning this is not a new form. Nevertheless, to this day, people still drink and drive even though they are aware of the consequences. People need to be more aware of the psychological effect it can have on themselves (the driver) and the people around them. While people drink, they enter an alternate state, meaning they can no longer make informed decisions, and experience slower reaction time and commonly blurry vision.  These symptoms are a result of the ethanol found in alcohol, a depressant, which slows down a driver’s brain function. There are long-term effects associated with short-term impairment, affecting both the driver’s life and those around them. If an accident did occur, the driver may experience lifetime guilt and regret, particularly in the event of the victim dying or being severely injured and becoming permanently disabled. Moreover, the legal punishment enforced by law enforcement may include jail time, fines and criminal charges. 

Drug use and driving have always been issues, but since 2018, cannabis has been legalized; as a result, the number of reported accidents has increased due to the increase in accessibility. Furthermore, cannabis use and driving have been discouraged, but still, many people are unaware of its effect on their ability to drive. The impact on drivers includes impairment of decision-making, reaction time, motor skills, and coordination, resulting in an increased risk of frequent lane changes, rear-end collisions, and head-on collisions. There are also other drugs which fall into the stimulant category, which cause drivers’ risk-taking abilities to increase, impair concentration and attention, and increase the probability of collisions. Examples of stimulant drugs include cocaine, meth, amphetamine (street name crack) and certain prescribed medications (treating ADHD and narcolepsy). Using drugs doesn’t only affect the driver through potential jail time, injury and death, but also guilt. It affects everybody on the road through potential death and serious injuries. Drivers who are prescribed medication should discuss it with their health care provider for advice.

Texting has been the most common form of communication over the past decade, driven by technological advances such as phones and the internet. As a result, text has become a primary cause of accidents for drivers. When texting and driving, it’s challenging to focus on the road ahead and the message being read. It’s complicated for drivers to look at the keyboard and respond to someone’s messenger while keeping an eye ahead, navigating the vehicle, and being prepared for any sudden stops. Texting and driving is something many people find harmless, but in the reverse, within a minute, life can be disrupted negatively. Due to these reasons, drivers have faced many expensive fines, lost demerit points, and could have caused serious injury or death over something that could have been avoided if they had responded to the text later on. I have a personal experience: once, I was in the car being driven when the passenger was trying to show the driver something on their phone. They turned to look, but I luckily reminded them that safety is more crucial and that they can show the driver later.

In summary, drinking and driving, drug use and texting have become the most common forms of impaired driving. In Canada, the most frequent causes of death have been due to car accidents. Drinking and driving remains a form of impaired driving in a driver having a lack of decision-making, foggy vision, which increases the chance of a collision occurring, resulting in serious injury or death to the victim, potentially facing criminal charges, jail time, and lifetime guilt. If alcohol is used, ensure to have a safe plan on how to get home safely. The use of drugs while driving continues to become an issue due to the accessibility of certain drugs (cannabis) and a lack of education on how cannabis and other drugs affect drivers’ ability to drive and make rational decisions.  Answering text may seem innocent, but the driver’s life can change forever. Next time a text appears on the driver’s screen, think again about responding right away.