It's late: you're driving home from your cottage and got held up with family members, or that amazing dinner you just needed a little more time to enjoy. Now you're driving home along highways of variegated lighting--some with none at all--and you're pinching open your eyes to stay awake. There's no help from your spouse whose asleep next to you, mouth gaping open, perhaps even snoring; and your kids have long since escaped consciousness in the backseat, with earbuds still left in their ears. "Did the lady at Timmy's give me freakin' decaf?!" you wonder as you imbibe that double-double yawning widely between ill-fated swigs.
It's lonely out there; you're still two hours to mothership, and the longed-for comfort of bed--
Many of us have experienced this one time or another; and many of us in those moments kick and berate and curse ourselves--we should know better.
Indeed, night time driving is one of the most dangerous things you can do--statistically speaking. Some studies have shown that sleep deprived driving causes impairment as severe as alcohol. It impairs one's abilities in the following four areas:
- Coordination
- Reflex
- Judgement
- Information retention
Moreover, your chances of coming in contact with impaired drivers, sleep deprived drivers, animals, and just plain weirdos increases the later you're driving.
For those moments, and others like them, here are a few tips to help you with those late night drives:
1. Check that all exterior lights work properly (front and rear, brake and high beams). If your windshield is dirty, clean it at the next gas station: your ability to see can be compromised if your windshield is full of bug debris.
2. Use your high beams in areas without sufficient light, but not when it's foggy--the light beams will simply reflect back on you further impairing your vision.
3. If your rear-view mirror has a day/night function (usually activated by flicking the knob at the bottom of the mirror itself), use it: someone behind you with high beams on, or a truck whose grill sits nice and high, will blind you otherwise. If someone is coming towards you with high beams on, turn your eyes away from it, and look straight ahead--do not be tempted to look at it head on, which is a natural reflex when we see bright lights.
4. Avoid turning on your interior lights, whether to check a map or otherwise (who uses maps anymore?); and for crying out loud, don't use your mobile device.
5. Keep your eyes moving by checking your rearview, and side mirrors intermittently. This will not only keep you well informed of those around you, but will keep you more alert.
6. Leave more space between you and other drivers, in the event of hit brakes ahead of you. With attention and reflex impairment, you need to give yourself plenty of time to respond.
7. If you have candy or a pack of your kids' bubble gum, use it. Sucking on candies and chewing on gum can increase attention and brain function--same goes for driving. It's good to keep some with you nevertheless as a private stash for just those occasions.
8. Avoid taking any medications that will make you drowsy. If you have to take a medication, try to take it long in advance to allow the initial drowsiness to wear off. There are serious risks involved in drugged driving.
9. Eat a meal higher in protein, rather than carbohydrates, before hitting the road. If you are out with family or friends, avoid the big pasta dinner, and go instead with the steak and caesar salad--the protein will not make you as drowsy. And avoid all alcohol content, passing that over for a stiff cup of coffee instead.
10. Keep a road side emergency kit, in the event that you God-forbid get into a collision, or get thrown into the ditch by a collision with a lugubrious moose or darting deer.
11. If possible, avoid traveling at night. If you need to be in town the following day for work, consider, if you can, keeping an extra set of clothes, getting some sleep, and leaving early in the morning.
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