Six Causes of Impaired Driving free essay sample

Why is impaired driving an issue and why should you care? You are only as safe as the other drivers on the road. If there was an impaired driver on the road that was distracted and, for example, ran a red light, and you were the car who was just following the rules and going through a green light, and they hit you, you are now hurt and have to deal with this issue. Impaired driving does not just affect the driver who is impaired but also others who are on the road as well. Impaired driving is a very serious and dangerous issue that many people are charged and prosecuted for. The six basic types of impaired driving are alcohol, advance age, drugs, emotions, fatigue, and inexperience. These types of impaired driving cause road safety issues for both the driver and other drivers on roads everywhere. Drinking and driving with alcohol continues to be one of Ontario’s most significant road safety issues. In the past decade, more than 2000 lives have been lost and more than 50000 people have sustained injuries in collisions involving a drunk driver. Every drink that any person has before driving affects their driving skills and the choices that they make when they are out on the road. Driving drunk is never a good idea, if a member of the police catches you drinking and driving or suspects that you are under the influence they will pull you over and ask for some simple tests, such as a breathalyzer test that calculates your blood alcohol concentration levels. If you fail these tests by getting over the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration and you were drinking and driving, your driver’s licence will be immediately, you will be fined, you can spend time in jail, you will receive at least 4 demerit points, and your insurance cost will go up in cost. Advanced age affects the safety of the roads because when we age, our senses do not work as they did when they were younger drivers. There are many accidents involving advanced age or senior drivers. Some advanced age drivers are better than most, some do not look when they proceed through an uncontrolled intersection because they forgot to look or they do not always look around them when they are driving and are not aware of their surroundings and this can become very dangerous for the driver and also other drivers on the road. Drug-impaired driving is becoming a much more common issue on Canadas streets, and the number of people driving after taking drugs is greater than those who drive after drinking. Regardless of public perception that drugs may be less harmful to drivers, evidence is growing that drug impairment contributes to collisions. Roadside saliva tests have become more accurate and cost-effective in recent years, particularly for the most commonly-used drugs. Drugs can cause you not to think through decisions before making them. When under the influence you have control over your body and who knows what would happen, it could be as extensive as waking up in the hospital or not waking up at all. The consequences are the same for drinking and driving pretty much. Driving while you are in an emotional state is very dangerous because this causes a mental distraction. Your mind could be on something else rather than seeing that pedestrian or seeing that light turn red. It is very important that you should not drive when you are in an emotional state! Pull over to the far side of the road or pull into a nearby parking lot to cool off or stay at home and refrain from driving for a while until you are in a stable state that is safe to go out and drive. You can possibly cause a serious accident or even injuries to yourself and other drivers on the road. Driving in this state can also cause you to get a ticket depending what trouble you get yourself into, whether it be speeding when you are angry, that can be a very costly ticket that can be easily avoided by cooling off and refraining from driving before you get out of the emotional state. Driving while you are fatigued is very dangerous because you will not be able to keep your eyes on the road and make wise decisions. The best option to avoid any accidents is to pull over to the far right side of the road, as far as you can off the road or into a nearby parking lot and put the car in park and have a nap. If after the nap you are still fatigued you should call for a pick up by a trusted friend or family member. Being fatigued can cause your eyes to get heavy and sometimes cause you to fall asleep in the driver’s seat. This is dangerous because you could go off the road or even go into oncoming traffic. This can be a costly or possibly a fatal mistake. Inexperience is a common cause of accidents in Canada. Driving school is recommended for all young drivers to give them the experience that they need and also the knowledge they need to become safe and alert drivers. For example, an inexperienced driver coming up to a stop sign might not know who’s right of way it is and possibly cause an accident. Inexperienced drivers should go to driving school and get the experience and knowledge that they need so that they can be safe and make the roads safer for other people who are on the road as well. Insurance companies will appreciate you taking driving school and acknowledge this by lowering your insurance. Inexperienced drivers can be pulled over for traffic violations and this can become very costly because they can cause accidents. In conclusion, impaired driving is a very serious and dangerous issue that many people are charged and prosecuted for. Six types of impaired driving are alcohol, advance age, drugs, emotions, fatigue, and inexperience. These types of impaired driving cause road safety issues for both the driver and other drivers on roads everywhere. All of these impaired driving circumstances can be avoided by making the right choice and by using common sense. Make the right choice and make highways and roads safer for you and everyone else.