Well, that was interesting!

[JoitheArtist]

Just got home a few minutes ago, and knew I had to sit down and write this one out.

I was driving home, around 11:30, and pull up to a stoplight behind several cars. The car in front of me seems to belong to someone on a long trip, as it is full of duffel bags, etc. The light turns green...and the guy in front of me doesn't move. I tap my horn, and about 5 seconds later, the guy finally moves. We go through the light, and I don't really think anything more of it. I've spaced out on red lights before, so it's no big deal.

But then I switch to the right lane, since my turn is coming up in a few blocks. The guy ahead of me drives a few more feet...then swerves into my lane without a signal. He didn't really cut me off, but that did make me a little irritated. Then, in the middle of the street...he coasts to a halt! No flashers, no nothing, just gradually slowing waaaaaaay down. I check the lane to my left, it's clear, so I pull into it and go around him. I glance inside the car as I do, and the guy's head is down, as if he's asleep.

I felt bad, because I don't know if the guy is drunk, or just sleep from a long trip or something, and I can't call 911 because I forgot to charge my phone. I pull carefully around him and get several car lengths ahead before I move back into my lane.

I watch in my rearview mirror as his headlights speed up again (did he wake up?) then swerve across two lanes of traffic...and bounce as he hits the median! I was really concerned, and cursing myself for not having my phone charged...when I see flashing lights.

Yep. Police car was driving not half a block behind him when he hit the median.

I still have no idea if he was drunk, drugged, or just sleepy. But I'm glad the police got him off the road quickly.

[bhskittykatt]

That's just scary. I remember once when I was travelling and was WAY too tired...I realized I was swerving a bit and didn't remember driving the last five miles! I pulled into a rest area and turned off my car, and the next thing I knew it was almost an hour later and the rest area attendant was tapping on my window to see if I was okay. I now make sure I don't let myself get that fatigued behind the wheel. It was too scary and I could have wrecked and died!

[Kogarashi]

Reminds me of when my sister and I were driving from Utah, where we were attending college, all the way home to New York. We'd gotten a late start, and though I was exhausted due to taking finals all day and working a late shift the night before in custodial, my sister had gotten a nap. We left our college town around 7pm.

An hour+ later, we were driving through the Wasatch Mountains up by Salt Lake. I'd nodded off in the middle of SLC itself, and was sleeping soundly, when a sudden RRRRRRRNT! noise and teeth-jarring vibration woke me with a start.

Turns out my sister had started to zone out, halfway to nodding off, and hit the rumble strips. We both were jolted fully awake by it, and found the nearest rest area to pull over and sleep for a bit. Scariest thing ever.

But I'm eternally grateful for rumble strips. My dad had done something similar a few years before on a long road trip, prompting us to switch drivers. And then there was the time my sister and I were driving through a different part of the Wasatch Mountains in heavy snow, and the rumble strips were the only way we could see the edges and middle of the road (since the snow sank into them).

[Mottom24]

I actually fell asleep behind the wheel once. During one year of college I would come home every weekend for my then girlfriend (family problems). I went back and forth so much I would go on auto pilot and be able to think of other things while driving just fine the whole way. one day traffic was VERY VERY bad, and I got out of class much later than usual. so I was sitting in my car, barly moving, no music on, no drink or food (Because I didn't reach my Wawa pit stop yet) with just the hum of the car. suddenly I jolted awak with me going off the road a bit. it must have been only for 10 seconds, I didn't hit anyone, but I definatly dozed off. I opened the windows, cranked the music, threw a couple pieces of gum in my mouth and slapped my face a few times for good measure. from then on I made sure to stock my car with a drink, chips, gum, loud music and multivitamins just in case. never had problems since... scared the shit outta me

[Stormraven]

I had that happen once, too. I was driving early morning, returning from a game I'd been playing with some friends - I'd been up early, and so I'd been awake for something like 20 hours.

I was driving in Sacramento, where I-80 meets I-50. I was in one of the left most lanes, closed my eyes for what I thought was a second, and when I opened them, I was in one of the far right lanes - I'd slipped over four or five lanes, as I recall. Very scary.

Fortunately, there was no one else within miles of me, but you can bet the adrenaline kept me awake the rest of the way - which, fortunately, was no more than a couple of miles more.

[blas]

You guys are going to probably shame me for the rest of time, but at least I learned my lesson and never did this again.

When overtime first returned its ugly head last summer, it was just a measly four extra hours, so I thought nothing of staying until 11 am on Monday morning. After I'd barely gotten any sleep Sunday and already worked 8 hours.

Shit you guys not, I woke up between 4-5 pm on my futon still wearing my jeans and tshirt and shoes.

This is why I will never, ever do that again.

[drunkenwildmage]

This happened in the late 70s - earlier 80s.A story that my mom told me when she worked in the warehouse of a local grocery store chain that is no longer in business. At the time, they also had a second warehouse that supplied restaurants, and that warehouse used strait trucks (Kinda like a large U-Haul).
While on Delivery, One of their drivers fell a sleep waiting at a stop light. The truck was the first vehicle in line. When the light turned green, of course he didn't take off. After the light had gone a full cycle, someone following him decided to investigate. They got out of their car, and walked up to the side of the truck When they got their they saw the driver's head leaning up against a window. They climbed on the sideboard/fuel tank and tapped on the window to get the drivers attention This startled the driver, and as he woke up he drove through the (now) red light with the person hanging onto the side of the truck for dear life.

[Sapphire Silk]

Driving while fatigued impairs your reaction times as badly as driving drunk. In North Carolina, if you fall asleep behind the wheel and cause an accident, you will be charged as if you were a DUI.

That being said, I used to have a 1 hour commute to/from work on Hwy 99 in North California, known by locals as "Blood Alley." One morning, I'm on my way home from work when I doze off, and hit the rumble strip.

Scared me wide awake. I stopped off at another hospital on the way home (about half the commute) and picked up a job application One hour one way was just too dangerous at 7:30 am.

[Andara Bledin]

We're all intelligent people, here, and yet most of us have done this at some point. It's like driving while tired is something that nobody really believes until they've done it and scared themselves silly.

I've started "driving by Braille" at high speed, myself. I figured out my limit, though, and would turn over the wheel if it was an option, and would find a spot to rest if it wasn't.

My boyfriend actually fell asleep and went off the road. Ended up rolling his car and was very lucky to walk away with only an interresting scar across his nose for the experience. Left a trail of comic books and gaming gear in his wake, which he missed more than he car, which was a total loss.

^-.-^

[CaroPhoenix]

And this my friends is why I would pop no doze pills and down it with a whole bottle of jolt cola in the morning and did the same thing before leaving work in the evenings. A 1.5 - 2 hour one-way commute is no fun and it's even worse when you're exhausted.

Fortunately the company went out of business I found a better job, but still.

[dalesys]

A friend was the passenger/relief driver and slowly woke up to: sshhh ssshh sshhh ssshh.

They were idling over brush in the Mojave.

They were about five miles out (at a slant).

The road was dead level with the desert, the driver had gone to sleep, missed the telephone poles and kept on rolling...

[Magpie]

I don't think I've ever quite fallen asleep, but I have woken up while driving. On the DVP. You know how you will be tired, and start zoning out, and you get a bit of a jolt when you're back from that? That one. My uncle actually fell asleep on the DVP very briefly once. Woke up to see the back of the car in front of him approaching quickly (didn't hit it).

[Chromatix]

I'm very glad I can get to work and back by train (or, in a pinch, by bus). I don't think I could reliably drive twice a day at the simultaneously most tiring and most congested times of the day.

And that's if I *had* a licence.

[Jetfire]

I don't drive often, but I've done that before. Scared the crap out of me and I'll never do it again (hopefully). This was 3-4 years ago I believe.

Me, Dad and Mom were doing a straight drive down to Chatham, Ontario from Woodstock, NB (about 16hours) for my Cousin's wedding. We left late at night and swapped drivers along the way. We hit Montreal around 5AM, roundabout sunrise, and I had taken over the wheel about an hour before that. Got through Montreal fine and I was pushing myself, trying to get to the Ontario border where I knew there was a rest area just across the line. Mom was asleep in the back and dad was dozing, so I didn't have the radio on to sing to/help keep me up.

We were on a straight stretch, a grassy median between the lanes, and no rumble strips on the fast lane side (nor any kilometer markers IIRC). Next thing I knew, I was mowing the lawn with the car, and dad was grabbing the wheel.

Luckily we got the car undercontrol/stopped without any incidents. We got out, checked for damage, and other than a grill full of grass and weeds, no damage. (It's a Ford Escape so it's got a high wheel base at least and somewhat designed for 'off roading').

Dad drove the rest of the way to the rest stop (about 15-20km) and we stopped to check closer; no damage thank goodness. He and mom drove most of the rest of the way down until KW, while I dozed. (I didn't want to sleep since I felt guilty for not letting him get more sleep, but I needed some sleep myself), and then I drove into Chatham from the restarea near Woodstock, ON.

I haven't really had any major road trips where I drive since then, but if/when I do, I'll make sure I'll keep the radio going, windows down and when I do feel fatigued, I will be stopping.

And just last Christmas, my coworker was driving back from Halifax. He had just flown back from Christmas with family in the Caraibbean. (Flown back by way if the States, so he had lots of Airport delays thanks to Mister Attempted Bomber.

He was coming down out of Cobequid Pass, almost to Amherst, when he dozed off. He woke up in the meridian, and yanked the wheel to get back on the road, and ended up rolling his car. Luckily, he walked out of it fine (but he left a wheel on the road); doubly so since he didn't have a working airbag, but his seat belt worked fine. The police and he agree that if he hadn't tried to crank the wheel to get back onto the road, he probably would've been fine, having bogged down in the mud/swamp that exists between the lanes in that area.

[Andara Bledin]

I have found that the only thing that will keep me awake when I'm starting to doze, is conversation.

There is something about the thinking required when conversing with someone that will keep me alert. The radio, caffiene, sugar, etc, none of that has any notable effect for more than a minute or two.

^-.-^