All It Takes Is One Night

The neon lights of King Street West felt electric that Friday night. We were celebrating my best friend’s promotion, bouncing between a few lounges, restaurants and hot spots in the Entertainment District. The night ended when I finally got into my car. As I pulled out, heading north on Spadina, I saw it—a dark sedan, travelling twice my speed on the slick road, swerving violently to avoid a streetcar. It didn’t correct. 

The momentum carried it straight into the brick wall of a low-rise building. The sound was a horrific, tearing crunch. Broken metal shattered, glass shattered like hail, a jagged piece of the car’s wheel detached on impact, and flew across the road. I saw the pedestrian, a slender woman with bouncy curls who just finished her shift at a local restaurant, waiting patiently for her turn to cross the street, fall instantly, silently killed by the flying debris. Everything stopped.

The neon buzz died, replaced by a ringing silence and the terrible, stark realization of what a single, selfish mistake had caused—the loss of a life.

Now, years later, every time I see the CN Tower lit up at night, it serves as a silent, soaring reminder. Choosing to drive under the influence is a selfish decision that changes and takes lives.

Being a driver is a privilege. It allows you to move around comfortably at your own pace. But with this privilege comes a great responsibility-the responsibility to drive safely and protect lives. 

In Canada, 21.9 % of fatal collisions in 2023 were caused by driving while impaired or under the influence. That’s 21.9% too much. But the reality is, impaired driving is not just a Canadian problem; it’s a global issue that we all need to address together.

The definition of impaired driving extends beyond alcohol and drugs. Impairment refers to any condition that diminishes one’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. This can include fatigue, stress, and even illnesses. Many of these factors are just as impactful as alcohol consumption in terms of effects on reaction time and decision-making. 

The issue with the term “impaired driving” is that it does not address involuntary tiredness or distraction. It separates us from reality; anyone can be an impaired driver. Yes, even you, your child and your mother. Redefining our understanding of the term impaired driving is the first step to reducing it. Alcohol consumption, tiredness, technical distractions and prescription drugs can impair critical driving faculties, such as reaction time, judgment, and motor coordination. Yet, the term “impaired driving” often connotes a clear-cut situation in which the driver is intoxicated, leading us to assume that impaired drivers act with malicious intent. This oversimplification obscures the fact that anyone—from a teenager to a seasoned driver—can become an impaired driver.

Distractions also play a critical role in impaired driving. The rise of smartphones and in-car technology adds another layer of risk. Even though Canadian teens acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving—94% are aware of the risks—35% still admit to doing it. Multi-tasking using personal devices while driving increases the possibility of a collision by 3.6 times. However, this can also come from internal sources within high-tech vehicles that may divert attention, compounding the risks when combined with fatigue or alcohol.

The misconceptions surrounding impaired driving often lead drivers to make unintentional, unsafe decisions. Taking a quick peek at your phone to change the song playing or operating under the false belief that if they have not reached the “legal limit” for blood alcohol concentration, they’re safe to drive. This mentality overlooks the reality that impairment and your ability to concentrate can change at any moment. Even if someone feels fine, a driver’s ability to focus on the road may still be compromised.

This overconfidence can lead drivers to think they don’t need to concentrate fully, particularly on familiar routes. It’s easy to dismiss the potential danger when you feel in control. We have to remember that one of the side effects of many drugs is making you feel more confident, and it can cause you to inflate your abilities. As a responsible driver, we have to remind ourselves and our fellow drivers that we should always assume our abilities are 40% below what we think they are, when we are taking recreational or prescription drugs, choose to text and drive and/or if we consume alcohol. Doing multiple of these things at the same time further increases the risk of an accident, or even a fatality.

The most deadly accidents often occur when there is a combination of impairments by a single driver or all those involved. When alcohol mixes with fatigue, the reaction time is reduced, increasing the possibilities of heightened risks. Driving impaired increases the likelihood of unsafe behaviours—like drifting between lanes, overlooking hazards, or misjudging distance—by a factor of 10 or more under these conditions.

Canada’s decision to legalize cannabis in 2018 raises new concerns about its influence on driving. Despite its legalization, alcohol related accidents still account for most impaired driving incidents. 

To encourage safe driving practices beyond driving lessons, we need to support the work of humanitarian organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), as they are essential to spreading the importance of safe driving within the community. MADD, for instance, offers support to families who were victims of impaired driving, advocates for stricter legislation against drunk driving, and educates the public about the dangers of impaired driving. Their efforts are the foundation for promoting road safety and preventing life-altering tragedies.

If our goal as a nation and a larger society is to reduce impaired driving, we have to understand what it actually means to be an impaired driver beyond drugs and alcohol. 

In conclusion, acknowledging that anyone can become an impaired driver will increase awareness and a driver’s sense of responsibility, thus leading to safer driving habits.