Have you ever
nodded off while driving only to be woken up by the edge of the road or even
worse, hitting a road barrier or shooting off a curve into a ravine with no
skid marks. Police are seeing more cases like this - it’s attributed to
falling asleep at the wheel. Research shows the chances are greater
that you will fall asleep at the wheel and that an incident could occur in
the early morning and most likely when the driver is an hour or so short of
home. Police say that most people often succumb to drowsiness while driving.
These people also tend to party the heartiest, push the limits, and try to
push through sleep deprivation to get home before it's time to go to work.
The easy answer for these types of people is to not start a long or short
drive while tired, and don’t continue it when drowsiness sets in.
Are you tired or fatigued? Sleepiness and fatigue is not exclusive to drivers with
inadequate sleep. Long, dull roads and sitting in one position for long
hours is draining. The lack of varied stimulants on wide, endless highways
is also a factor. Certain cars bestow a hum or flat noise that can put you
to sleep at the wheel. I’ve had to drive back from events where I thought I
was perfectly awake, as I’d drive down the highway I’d suddenly get drowsy,
no matter what I would do, within an hour my body seemed to just want to
force my eyelids closed and start my head nodding. You could choose to drive
over the speed limit or seek an alternative route that is less constant in
nature and more demanding of attention. Driving faster sounds like fun but
it can earn you a nice ticket or even an accident for other reasons. Taking
the longer path may just waster time too. Personally I have found that
listening to books on tape, talking on the phone (of course with a hands
free device) and stopping every 2 hours at maximum works best. But if you
are really tired - get a room and get some sleep. Resting in your car on the
side of the road or at a rest area can be dangerous - especially if you have
a leaky exhaust system.
The Bottom Line If you insist on driving anyway, if you have even a fleeting
moment of hallucinating, or realizing that you are at the edge of being
asleep at the wheel. You can kill or be killed. Stop and do something about
the situation.
Here are
some other ideas to do to fend off drowsiness? One sure to work:
Carry on an active
conversation with a passenger.
Listen to whatever
involves you more on the radio — a talk show you can shout back at
or music you can sing and tap along to while driving. Be alert to
elevator music or music that makes you want to relax.
Keep the interior climate
a little on the chilly side. If the air get to warms it will give
you the nods.
Chew on something that is
noisy, such as raw carrots, celery sticks, pork rinds or something a
little spicy.
Everyone thinks that the
caffeine in coffee, cola or tea will work, but it will only work for
a short period of time.
Take an active break. Get
out of the car and trot around for a few minutes. Stretch or do a
few jumping jacks.
Swap drivers frequently,
if you have someone with you.
The only sure thing is to
stop and go to sleep, be sure to find a motel. If catnaps work
for you, take a 10- to 20-minute snooze in the car with the doors
locked. Just make sure to drive safely
Notice: The information on this site is
not intended as a substitute for the advice of a professional who is
qualified to examine, diagnose and repair your vehicle.
Have you ever
nodded off while driving only to be woken up by the edge of the road or even
worse, hitting a road barrier or shooting off a curve into a ravine with no
skid marks. Police are seeing more cases like this - it’s attributed to
falling asleep at the wheel. Research shows the chances are greater
that you will fall asleep at the wheel and that an incident could occur in
the early morning and most likely when the driver is an hour or so short of
home. Police say that most people often succumb to drowsiness while driving.
These people also tend to party the heartiest, push the limits, and try to
push through sleep deprivation to get home before it's time to go to work.
The easy answer for these types of people is to not start a long or short
drive while tired, and don’t continue it when drowsiness sets in.