Name: Laylah Henschel
From: Port Washington, WI
Votes: 0
Driver’s education teaches traffic laws and penalties, how to pass the written and road test, as well as the risks of impaired driving. We often think of impaired driving as only driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. In reality, impaired driving can be anything from driving while under the influence of alcohol, drugs (legal or illegal), sleepiness, medical conditions like seizures, distractions such as cellphones, playing with the radio, talking with friends, and daydreaming.
According to statistics, an estimated 10,000 Americans are killed each year in car crashes caused by impaired drivers under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Alcohol is the most common impaired driving done today. Alcohol and/or drugs tend to slow our coordination and reaction times. They can make us reckless. Alcohol and/or drugs can affect our vision by changing our depth perception and blurring our vision. They can affect our judgement and reasoning. All of this is a recipe for disaster while driving. Accidents are far more likely to occur when impaired driving is involved. Impaired driving can not only hurt and kill people but it can cause our insurance rates to go up and we can lose our driving privilege.
Distractions such as daydreaming are another cause of accidents. How often have you been driving but thinking about what a friend told you the night before, what you need to do when you get home, what your plans are for the weekend with your friends, that test you have to take at school, the new clothes you’re going to purchase, etc? What about looking at your cellphone to see who’s calling or texting you? Maybe you have even been driving and texting at the same time. Everytime we take our eyes off the road, even if it’s only for a second, we are risking an accident. Not being totally focused on our driving and the road is a distraction that can cause serious injury. Driving requires our full attention.
Personally, I do not know anyone involved in an accident due to impaired driving, but I have known people who received DUIs. This is an expensive experience even if there are no accidents. It involves hiring an attorney, court dates, jail time, paying fines, losing licenses and increased insurance rates. All of this information has definitely made me promise to never ever drive while impaired. It just is not worth it.
“Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulation it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.” – Louis L’Amour. Driver education can be useful in helping spread knowledge and awareness of impaired driving. Informing students of the consequences of impaired driving such as losing license, the expenses, and not to mention killing or hurting other people or yourself. Killing someone while driving under the influence is a serious felony offense and you can be charged with vehicular manslaughter or intoxicated manslaughter, and sentenced to prison.
In Wisconsin, I took online classes that gave me information about the rules and the problems of impaired driving. In the behind the wheel experience I learned to drive in different weather and road conditions. Some days we had fresh snow and roads were slippery. I learned to slow down and give myself more distance to stop and learned about defensive driving. I could not imagine driving on Wisconsin roads while impaired. All of this helped me to become a better driver.
Most of my friends are probably guilty of impaired driving by being distracted by their phone. I can personally help out with impaired driving by never driving myself while being distracted by my phone, the radio, daydreaming and certainly not while under the influence of alcohol. I can encourage my friends to do the same. If I see them driving while looking at their phone, I need to speak up and tell them to leave their phone alone. If they feel the need to answer a call or text message, they can pull over at a safe location.
Knowledge of impaired driving can be shared with friends and family. Education is a key in helping spread the word. We all need to take a role in stopping impaired driving. Reporting any obvious reckless driving we see like swerving in and out of lanes, running stop signs and red lights. We should stop our friends and family who have been drinking from driving. Always designate a sober driver when we are going out, knowing that we will be drinking. Perhaps by sharing our knowledge, we can even save a life.
