"Impact"

When I hear the word "impact", I always think of a collision, either great or small:

"When the race car hit the wall, the driver died on impact."

"The woman decided to take a class in low-impact aerobics."

But I hate seeing the word as a synonym for "affect" and "influence", as it tends to exaggerate what the speaker is saying, as in:

"The drought will adversely impact the growth of crops this summer."

"Eric Clapton's music has had a great impact on my guitar playing."

I'm sorry, but I don't think droughts slam into crops, nor would Eric Clapton collide with one's guitar as they're playing. "Affect" and "influence" are two perfectly good words, and there are other synonyms which also more accurately convey the meaning without hyperbole.

Thus ends my language rant of the day.