Students of First Route Driving School are required to write out their thoughts, essay style on driving-related issues.  W.C. Burgess Insurance is proud to present the first of a two-part series from a young driver and his views on impaired and distracted driving.

Jonathan’s Essay on Impaired Driving

“Impaired driving is probably the most common cause of accidents on the road today.  My family is very against impaired driving especially because my grandfather’s father was struck and killed by a drunk driver on his way home from work on Christmas when my grandfather was only a young boy at 12 years old.

I have always gotten sick to my stomach hearing about drunk drivers or drivers falling asleep behind the wheel of their vehicle.  It isn’t that I’m sick with the person, it’s just that I’m sick with some people’s actions, inactions and choices, for example, actions and choices being getting behind the wheel drunk or even high and inactions being not pulling over or stopping when getting tired to rest.

We could convince people to never drive impaired in quite a few ways such as these; offering to be a designated driver, knowing your friends are going out and suggest a designated driver such as another friend or even to get a taxi to take them home rather than driving under the influence.

If the driver is drowsy, you as a passenger should tell them to get over and rest or even suggest swapping drivers while the other sleep for long car rides.  A common misconception lately was that although you weren’t drinking and driving, that it was still “Ok” to take drugs and drive.  This is not the case because anything that impairs judgment, control, and brain function will impair your driving.

Impaired driving means that while driving, something you may have done or that you are doing right now affects your driving style aka throttle control and speed, steering, braking, following, passing and signalling can be directly affected by a driving imparity.

Another driving imparity that we rarely hear about but does happen is young kids that aren’t old enough for a licence, stealing the car.  This is impairment because they haven’t gone through testing and still are too immature to put so many people at risk.”

Jonathan McConachie is 16 years of age and a proud owner of his G1 licence.  His mother is Marla Newell from our office, and we thank Jonathan for his contribution! Well done, Jonathan!