we started this public awareness campaign in 2002 to eliminate drowsy driving by educating drivers about the dangers of drowsy driving and the countermeasures they can employ to survive. the following is a list of these countermeasures. please remember that turning on the radio, stretching your neck, putting a fan on high, putting your face out of window, slapping your face, or pushing a sharp pin in your thigh does not work.
certainly before a long trip, plan and get a good night’s sleep.
avoid driving from midnight to six o’clock in the morning.
be extra careful while driving around mid-afternoon.
do not drive after an overnight flight.
take a break at least every two hours.
take a power nap in anticipation of sleepiness.
remember that a cup of coffee can be lifesaving.
talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea, insomnia, restless legs, shift work sleep disorder, or narcolepsy symptoms.
if your thoughts become dreamy, your eyelids feel heavy, or traffic signs do not mean much pull over. you are about to die!
I have done nights for a long time and I live 50 minutes from work, when I feel sleepy while driving, i find that if I get out of the car and walk around it a few times, it wakes me up enough to make it home. 1st shift after a few nights off is always the hardest.
What gets me is finding a balance between keeping myself awake for the drive home but not TOO awake so that I can fall asleep when I get home and get enough sleep for the next shift. We need to just start shutting the hospitals down at 7pm.
One of the MDs where I work was saying she had a patient's family that was surprised we were there at night. Apparently in whatever country he was from, the whole hospital staff goes home at ~7 and comes back the next morning. During the night, families have to care for their sick loved ones. Wouldn't that be nice?
What gets me is finding a balance between keeping myself awake for the drive home but not TOO awake so that I can fall asleep when I get home and get enough sleep for the next shift. We need to just start shutting the hospitals down at 7pm.
One of the MDs where I work was saying she had a patient's family that was surprised we were there at night. Apparently in whatever country he was from, the whole hospital staff goes home at ~7 and comes back the next morning. During the night, families have to care for their sick loved ones. Wouldn't that be nice?
Well I got my own personal lesson on this when coming home late. I was about 20 minutes from home. I kept pushing to get home because I was tired, closed my eyes for what felt like a second and verged across the opposite lane into a ditch. Only once I hit the ditch did I wake up trying to control the car before crashing into a telephone pole. I was young and being a bit naive. Thank god I always wear my seatbelt and with it being late at night no one was on the road. My car was totaled.
You better believe that any signs of being tired I pull over and take a 15 minute nap before trying to risk my life again!
bezany
25 Posts
I have done nights for a long time and I live 50 minutes from work, when I feel sleepy while driving, i find that if I get out of the car and walk around it a few times, it wakes me up enough to make it home. 1st shift after a few nights off is always the hardest.