Countermeasures for Drowsy Driving

Some ideas and tips.

Get Some Sleep

It’s worth saying again. The very best advice any driver can give or accept when it comes to drowsy driving is simply to get enough sleep. A healthy adult generally needs 7-9 hours of sleep, regularly, to maintain proper wakefulness through the course of a normal day.

Bring a Friend

Combat the boredom of the road with a driving companion, and better yet, switch driving responsibilities with that companion every now and again. The change will do you good.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Take a break. Take a walk. Do some stretching. Anything that breaks up the monotony of driving will stimulate your brain and body, breaking you out of the road’s hypnotic trance and increasing your attentiveness.

Sleep, By Any Other Name

Call it a power nap, a snooze, a catnap, or catching a few zzz’s. Finding a safe place to sleep for 15 minutes or longer in the middle of a long drive or before you even hit the road can provide temporary refreshment. Short periods of sleep are no replacement for the proper number of hours in the sack, but rest will help to recharge your batteries. Do not jump right back onto the road after you wake up, however, as your body will need a few minutes to bring itself all the way out of sleep. In fact, one of the most recommended tricks for maintaining alertness is to drink a cup of coffee just before a nap. The caffeine will take 15-30 minutes to kick in, during which time you grab some shuteye, then the stimulant brings you back to alertness with the double benefit of sleep and caffeine. A study completed at the University of Loughborough in the United Kingdom discovered that this combination reduced highway incidents by a factor of four.

The Juice

Speaking of caffeine, you can find it in more things than just coffee. Tea and some sodas (especially colas) can give you that added burst of pharmacological alertness that might get you to your destination safely. Snacks can be good too. Not only do they occupy your mouth and hands, but they also provide the fuel for your fire, giving you energy enough to maintain wakefulness. Or try chewing gum, if you’re not hungry, to give your body something to do.

A recent study published in the journal Sleep found that caffeine was better than a nap in increasing driving skills in drowsy people. (A full night's sleep is the best, of course.)

Pinch Me, I Must Be Dreaming

If you have gotten to the point that you are dreaming and driving, it is probably far too late, but some people do go as far as slapping or pinching themselves to maintain alertness.

Clean, Fresh Air

Less violent but equally stimulating can be a burst of fresh air and a stiff breeze through an open window or two. However, the constancy of the breeze is likely to grow just as monotonous with time as anything else on the road. Roll the windows up or down or go through several of these suggestions in succession, anything to vary your environment for some extra stimulation.

Well Then, Crank It Up!

Another old standby is the radio. Turning it up loudly to a station with some invigorating music (or a talk radio broadcast by the political group that really gets your goat) can provide stimulation to combat your sleepiness. Just be careful that it doesn’t draw all your attention away from the road.

While the Sun Shines

If at all possible, drive during the daylight hours. Other than the mid-afternoon lethargy, your circadian rhythms alone will keep you more alert during the day than at night. Additionally, the light provides more stimulation to your brain, gives you an extended response time for any problems you might see up ahead, and gives you more options for safe places to pull over and regularly get out of the car.

Don’t Follow the Yellow Brick Road

You have seen the hypnotism cliché in movies—a man holding a swinging gold watch in front of his receptive client. It may be a bit overdone, but it is not so far from the truth. Staring at the yellow division line at the center or the white line at the side of the road – though it does give you a solid sense of where you are in the dark – can also lull you to sleep. Change your eye position and the focus of your brain by scanning the road and your mirrors continually—just like Mr. Perkins taught you in Driver’s Ed. He would be so proud.

Don’t Just Sit There, Think of Something

Just as with the radio, you do not want to occupy your mind so much as to divert it from the hazards of the road, but a mental game or goal-setting can keep your mind active in general so that it is also alert enough for the road. Go back to the games of childhood road trips to play “I Spy” or the alphabet game. Also, you might take a tip from endurance athletes and continually set yourself achievable goals. A marathon might seem like an impossible accomplishment from the perspective of the starting line, but wizened athletes keep their mind on the obstacles and goals nearer them—rounding the next bend or getting over the next hill. Each smaller accomplishment gets them closer to that finish line and distracts them from the difficulties lying ahead. In the same way, it might seem impossible to stay awake all the way to your destination, but reaching the next mile marker along the side of the road is certainly possible, and after that you will be able to make it to the next deer crossing sign and then just up over the next rise. Breaking a large trip down into smaller parts not only makes the task seem easier, but it occupies the mind and keeps it alert. All the same, never push yourself further than you can safely travel.

References

Resources

Avoiding Drowsy Driving

Countermeasures

Responsibility and the Drowsy Driver

Signs of Drowsiness when Driving

How Well Are You Sleeping? - FDA Consumer Article

Circadian gene helps brain predict mealtime

Sleep less, live longer? - Increased Death Rate Associated
With Sleeping 8 Hours or More

Circadan Rythyms

"And miles to go before I sleep"

(Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening)