Impairments
Impairments to driving come in many forms:
Physical impairments
- Depth perception is the ability to judge the relative distance of objects. Some lack this ability.
- Tunnel vision is when you do not have the full peripheral range of vision. Drivers with this impairment must scan from side-to-side more aggressively.
- Drivers who a color blind must rely more on the shape of signs.
Drug impairments
- "Operating while intoxicated" means a driver has a blood alcohol content of .08 or more.
- Impaired depth perception in drinking drivers causes them to perceive something as far away when it is actually close.
- Michigan's Implied Consent Law penalizes a driver if he refuses to submit to a breath or blood alcohol concentration test.
- Alcohol
begins to affect a person's abilities upon entering the body. One's
judgment is the first to be affected, followed by vision and
coordination.
- It is illegal for a person 21 and older to drive with a blood alcohol concentration that is .08% or higher.
- Marijuana can affect a driver's judgment and coordination for a long time.
- Most cold medications make you drowsy.
Fatigue impairment
- Do not wait to take short breaks before you are drowsy.
- One effect of fatigue is misjudgment of speed and distance.
- Owing your body sleep is referred to as "sleep debt," which can only be paid off by sleeping.
- A danger signal of drowsy driving is not remembering driving the last few miles.
- Amphetamines can create a false sense of alertness.
Mental impairments
- Cell phones cause mental distraction. When you use a cell phone while you are driving, you should pull off the roadway.
- Strong emotions can cause you to fix your attention on one event.
- A teen driver's inexperience is a factor in young driver crashes. Distracting young passengers are an even greater factor.
- If you MUST attend to a distraction while driving, be sure to increase your following distance.
