Driving When Tired...

[Funkadelic]

I really, really hate driving when tired.

Drove from a club in Watford to my home in Guildford last night at 3am. I was feeling pretty tired in the club towards the end, and as far as monotonous driving is concerned my fourty five minute stint along the M25 followed by the A3 was as mind numbing as they come.

I think I was managing to keep a steady speed and I didn't have too much trouble staying in the right lane (!), but I was having to concentrate very hard indeed. At one point I did actually catch myself swerving across into the next lane and that really put the frighteners on me. I also saw a truck that was all over the place which made me think about how dangerous driving when tired really is. I don't think enough emphasis is put on it, to be honest.

I don't drink any more but I'm sure I must have driven home a couple of times when I've been slightly over the limit and I have to say that as far as staying in control goes, I was alot worse this morning when I felt completely knackered than when I'd had a few pints.

Anybody got any opinions on this or had any similar experiences?

[+Steve]

ohh that sounds like a post we could create a massive debate... it really looks like one.

I have driven tired.. used to drive trucks ovenight... i used to punch myself in the eye to stay awake just to deliver those damn parcels!

[97paseo]

i used to punch myself in the eye to stay awake just to deliver those damn parcels!

I drive home (45mins) off 12 hour nights all the time, 7pm-7am & it can be scary sometimes!

Also our night shifts are increasing to at least 16 hours not including driving time so I might end up in a field pretty soon!

[nws25]

Didnt Tiff Needell (******) and Quentin Wilson (bigger ******) do a test once on a private track, obviously, where one was sleep deprived and one was slightly over the drink drive limit. The one who was sleep deprived proved to be the most dangerous in that situation.

[GIDDLEPIN]

I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my father.

Not screaming like the passengers on his bus!!! :D

[+Steve]

I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my father.

Not screaming like the passengers on his bus!!! :D

ooooohh bad but funny

i need

[Karma Supra]

The scaryest driving moment EVER for me was infact drifting off behind the wheel!!! The more refined tour car is the more likely you are to drop off.... I was in a soarer with cruise control set at 80 ish.... was in the slow lane on a totally empty M4.. I don't remember drifting off, but I remember waking up to the "bumpbumpbump" of the rumble strips and finding myself heading right for the crash barrier dividing bit..... luckily no other cars were about!!! I opened all the windows and drive to the next service place wher I had a kip and a cuppa.

I never thought it possible.. but it was :hokus-pokus:

GIDDLEPIN

[dazwan]

I've fallen asleep at the wheel. It was a few years ago now, but even now I dread to think of the consequences if I'd not woken up when I ran over the rumble strips on the hard shoulder. it was only for a second, but these days if I think I'm getting tired I'll pull up in the services (Motorway, that is) and get my head down for a while.

One thing I find useful now is to get some redbull in when I'm driving long distance or expect to get tired. I once drove 12hrs to Cornwall (bad traffic on the M5 car-park), I didn't get tired once with a belly full of a mix of Pro-Plus and Red Bull .

[+Steve]

red bull is good.. lethal before bed time

took a girl out and we got smashed at a bar... she kept on wanting me to try a certain drink.. something with red bull... anyway.. i crawled out of this bar and crawled home.. falling into every bush.. 3 hours after i had this red bull i was trying to sleep.. and i couldnt... bloody red bull kept me awake and the room was spinning for hours!!! damn horrible

I will still awake at 9am drunk! and very very tired

But if it saves your life then thats cool!

[nws25]

The active ingredient in Red bull is caffenine, excuse the spelling im tired

A can of red bull is the same as having a cup of coffee, theres other stuff in their but caffenine is the stimulant.

It doesnt really affect me, like some certain illegal drugs that keep you awake, i can either stay awake or if i choose i can go to sleep. Unlike some people who can buzz for days.

[+Steve]

i think it works out more than just 1 cup of coffee

[kaz]

It doesnt really affect me, like some certain illegal drugs that keep you awake, i can either stay awake or if i choose i can go to sleep. Unlike some people who can buzz for days.

I'm exactly the same. I drink TVR's (Tequilla Vodka & Red Bull) and my husband is amazed I can fall fast asleep just like that - or If I want I can stay up all night.

Years ago I used to work for a car rental firm and hd to pick up and deliver cars all over the UK in the middle of the night and I always remember one night driving back to London from Dover (my husband was helping me by driving another car behind me) and I fell asleep on the motorway lucky for me my husband drove alongside tooting untill I woke up I was also lucky it was lso late at night and there weren't any other cars around. We had to pull over and I walked about and had a drink of water to revive me but I hated the rest of the drive home.

Kaz

[yannick]

I used to prefer driving nights because there was less traffic. I'd do London to Scotland, setting off in the evening and arriving in the early morning. I thought that I was one of those people who never fell asleep at the wheel.

Unfortunately it happenned - while I was driving a minibus :o . There were 2 passengers, one of whom was asleep. If it wasn't for the rumble strips we'd have all come a cropper. The passenger who had stayed awake told me later (much later) that we had been wandering between the lanes for a fair distance before I moved towards the hard shoulder . Luckily the motorway was empty.

Caffeine doesn't help me, so I have little choice. You can only go so far with the windows open and the music on full volume :P so I don't push it any more. The last time I started to feel tired at the wheel (after 4000km of driving a 7.5t van) I pulled over at the next services and slept in the cab for 2 hours.

I still do a fair amount of long distance driving here, and the thing that scares me is that there aren't always rumble strips on French motorways :(

[dave5282]

Windows down ususally helps me, if I do have a quick nap at the services I end up feeling ill and worse than when I started. Caffeine also makes me ill, but super sour sweets are a bit of help...seriously!!! (dont know why or if its just a placebo effect)

[Fidgits]

red bull is good.. lethal before bed time

took a girl out and we got smashed at a bar... she kept on wanting me to try a certain drink.. something with red bull... anyway.. i crawled out of this bar and crawled home.. falling into every bush.. 3 hours after i had this red bull i was trying to sleep.. and i couldnt... !Removed! red bull kept me awake and the room was spinning for hours!!! damn horrible

I will still awake at 9am drunk! and very very tired

But if it saves your life then thats cool!

Yeah, that happened my first night out clubbing in Reading.

Went out with the bosses daughter, we were drinking Red bull and vodka all night, and when we finally got back to my flat, no chance of sleeping!

As for the driving while tired, its hard to avoid, we all know we shouldnt, but sometimes what alternative do you have???

I can remeber driving tired and jet-lagged, i knew for a fact i had the reaction time of a tortoise, so was concentrating really hard, which was making me more tired!! urgh!

[jimma]

The active ingredient in Red bull is caffenine, excuse the spelling im tired

A can of red bull is the same as having a cup of coffee, theres other stuff in their but caffenine is the stimulant.

It doesnt really affect me, like some certain illegal drugs that keep you awake, i can either stay awake or if i choose i can go to sleep. Unlike some people who can buzz for days.

Taurine in it as well, which is a stim!

[Funkadelic]

Is Taurine the stuff they gave to pilots during the Gulf War, only to find out later that it can cause brain haemorages?

I think Red Bull is banned in the US because of that stuff although I'm not 100% on that.

[+Steve]

coming back from London at about 5am in the summer so it was a nice light morning.... was cruising behind another car for about 10 mins.... decided to light up a cigarette.. looked down at the cigarette lighter.. looked up and the car in front was nowhere to be seen... just a bit of smoke and then we spotted skid marks leading toward the embankment...

we stopped and there was a woman struggling to get out of her car... we got her out and she was ok.. I said i would give her a lift as she lived in my hometown

apprently this was her second car smashed up... the car she smashed up was a hire car because her car was smashed up due to falling asleep...

[nws25]

Dont you think this is all very interesting, alot of you here are admitting to falling asleep, feeling really drowsy, taking stimulants to stay awake while driving YET when someone admitted having a couple of pints and crashing their car, the thread got locked cause everyone went over board.

[atikali2000]

I have never fallen asleep at the wheel, and hope never to do so... I dont drink so no risk of me EVER being DUI.

But what I find helps to reduce tiredness at the wheel...

Redbull, coffee (caffiene drinks)... also try keeping the can or cup in your hand and take regular small sips (say at 20-30 second intervals). I found this VERY effective last week with one can of Redbull - made it last for 2hours and it kept me awake.

Sour sweets (really does work... if only for a while),

If possible, a passenger to keep me talking and active,

Also tried talking to someone on the hands-free phone (works if you can get an interesting conversation going)

But personally, the best thing I have found is LOUD music... and I mean LOUD.

500W of bass and treble to rattle your internal organs will keep you awake ;)

Going from previous experience, I have made a few stints from Brum to Nottingham with passengers on the way there. And have felt really tired so I pulled into the M42 Services on the drive up. But on the way back (without passengers), I was able to crank the music to maximum volume, and found that the 1hr journey felt like 20 mins and I was WIDE AWAKE through all of it

But nothing beats, driving when not tired. If you feel you are drifting off, please be sensible, and pull over (into a service station or at least to the side). It is NEVER worth the risk.

Atik

[starletsy]

Dont you think this is all very interesting, alot of you here are admitting to falling asleep, feeling really drowsy, taking stimulants to stay awake while driving YET when someone admitted having a couple of pints and crashing their car, the thread got locked cause everyone went over board.

I was thinking the exact same thing mate just shows how we seem to accept some things and come down hard on others.

Makes you think really

[Funkadelic]

^

That more or less perfectly sums up what I'm getting at!

Nice one :D

[dave5282]

Glad its not just me appreciating the use of Super Sour Sweets, anyone know why it works though?

[dazwan]

Dont you think this is all very interesting, alot of you here are admitting to falling asleep, feeling really drowsy, taking stimulants to stay awake while driving YET when someone admitted having a couple of pints and crashing their car, the thread got locked cause everyone went over board.

Yes it is!

We're a !Removed! old bunch aren't we?

[dave5282]

Dazwan, You should be an expert of staying awake now?

Or have you just developed a bambino induced state of immunity to tierdness? :P :P