Falling asleep at the wheel

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by yazzyfooty

The rumble strips woke me up once when I was driving back up from London and it scared me sh*tless, so now if I feel even a tiny bit tired I stop at services and put seat back and sleep. Better to get there late then not at all.

thats happened to me too, coming down the M6 from the M55 to the 'tickle trout' junction, rather scary but not a 'tiger shark' moment. I like garf refuse to drive if tired and will stop when i start to fel tired. 6 hours straight is the longest i have drove for without a break but never again.

[nigelH]

I woke up at the wheel once (I don't remember ever falling asleep)
I had just clipped a telegraph pole and was on the grass.
I turned back toward where the road was turning away from me but what was a nice flat run on was now an eighteen inch drop off so I bounced across the road and shortened the hire Escort by about a foot on a tree.

Aren't seat belts wonderful?
I lost my deposit.
This was 1971.

[Twinset & Wing]

Originally Posted by tom

Coming back from a dive trip once, I was getting really tired and starting to nod off, so I pulled over for a rest. Soon as the engine was off I was out like a light, and must have slept for up to an hour. I woke up, got ready to drive off, turned the key, and ... nothing. I'd left the lights on, and the battery was flat

This one sounds familiar, I did exactly the same thing with the lights, but ;uckily, the guy that knocked on the window of the car told me that I had left them on and then when the engine wouldnt start he let me use his van to jump start it off, if he is reading this now I think I owe him a pint,

back to the original topic the worst time I ever fell asleep was in a contra-flow coming back from a weeks yacht sailing in the solent/channel, i was knackered and had decided to have a kip at aome point on the way abck home but it caught up with me sooner than i thought i woke up doing 50 at about 10-15 degrees to the contraflow lane going towards the opposing traffic which happened to be a nice low loader with a HUGE genarator on the back, it was grey, with a light blue stripe around it, i dont think I will ever forget that as I truly believe that if someody or somthing hadnt woken me up I wouldn't be here now.

Needless to say I imediatly pulled over at a petrol station went to the loo and kipped for about 2 hours.

It realy isn't worth it and the fact is it is invariably somebody elses life not yours that you will damage.

Drive Safe

Giles

[NeilB]

What's scarey is that out of 23 posts just about all of us have fallen asleep at the wheel and narrowly avoided killing ourselves and other people. If we are average then a lot of people out there are asleep at the wheel and the law of averages says some are going to die.

Just like drink driving, tired driving is just not worth it....take a sleep and save a life (it may be yours!).

[Mike Cunningham]

Listen to Radio 4

[gwilson]

Originally Posted by Mike Cunningham

Listen to Radio 4

What to stay awake??

[Steve S]

Reminds me of a time in my youth when after a 10 hour shift I set off to join my mates for some surfing at Fistral beach. I was on the M5 at approx 2.30 in the morning in the ''fast'' lane listening to Madonna's like a virgin album and singing along to over and over when I was jolted awake, shoo bee doo was playing and I was in the ''slow'' lane.
I had slept through a track, thank God the motorway was almost empty and that my car had excellent tracking.

Nowadays even on mad missions if I feel the slightest bit tired I pull over for a power nap or have a snifter from my 02 kit.

Safe diving,
Steve

[Mike Cunningham]

not always ;->