Driving in the Night

Do you multi-task while you drive? Maybe you have to or you are confident to do that, however, "safety first" works for everyone!

Fatigue - Driving when Tired

To drive safe, for your sake, your loved ones’ and innocent eventual victims is something that drivers should always keep in mind. A vigilant driver however, constantly does that. There are though some things you should be aware of in driving, as danger can come stealthy:Falling asleep due to fatigue is a constant danger especially for long distance drives. Driving when you are tired can lead to disastrous consequences. It was estimated that 300 people a year are killed in the cases where the driver has fallen asleep at the wheel. Keep in mind that the risk of falling asleep while driving is the greatest between midnight and 6 am and 2-4 pm. This has the potential to affect all drivers, yet, people for whom driving is their job are evidently exposed more to this risk. The work related crashes represent 40% of the sleep related accidents and typically involve the commercial vehicles.

Also, drugs and alcohol consumption, as well as certain medicines can cause sleepiness making your body more tired. The worst part in such cases is that you don’t even feel or realize that you are more tired than usual.

Robert Schaller is an expert in defensive driving and traffic law so I will include some of his advice here:

"One of my common themes in teaching this topic is personal responsibility. We all have the obligation to make sure we are able to drive safely whenever we operate our vehicle. Ask yourself, "Am I safe to drive? Am I rested? Am I ill? Have I taken medications that might affect my abilities? Are my limbs available for use? Has it been long enough since I had that drink for the alcohol to have worked its way through my system?" (Generally, the body can eliminate one drink per hour, and, contrary to popular beliefs, nothing can speed up that process.) Do I have my glasses on, if needed?" Only if you can answer yes to all these questions should you exercise your privilege to drive.

I am convinced that if everyone would (1) not speed; (2) pay attention; (3) not drive impaired; and (4), wear seat belts (and use other safety systems such as air bags and ABS brakes), no one would ever get killed in a traffic collision. Just these four things, practiced habitually, would eliminate most serious collisions and save 50,000 lives each year. In the real world, though, we're human, and because we are, there will always be mistakes that lead to collisions. Since we do subject ourselves to hostile environments and physical forces that are incompatible with life, we should do everything possible to minimize the risks, yes? So, again, practice paying 100% attention to your driving, drive at a reasonable speed, never drive impaired, and buy and learn how to use safety systems correctly. These ideas are the foundation of any defensive driving "system.""

Tips for staying awake at the wheel:

a. Rest, take a break! Whenever you feel that you need one.

b. Prepare for your journey in such a way to take into account that you need a 15 minutes break every two hours of driving.

c. Drink coffee or some other high caffeine drink to keep you awake. This is an effective method of fighting fatigue.

d. If possible share the driving

e. If you feel you’re getting sleepy, it is best to find a safe place to stop as soon as possible. Once more I underline, a safe place is what you need, not the side of the highway, keep that in mind; you don’t want another sleepy driver to run you over. Tiredness kills!

f. Remember that being tired at the wheel represents a form of impairment because tiredness decreases your ability to operate your automobile securely.

Avoid "pressure driving". When you can, it is best to plan your trip early enough in order to drive safe. However, that is not always possible and when you are inevitably late, don’t try to make up for the time. Keep cool and keep in mind that you can’t afford any errors now…an accident is what you least need now. That’s why don’t stress about it, you could lose much more time in a collision!