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I ride a motorcycle..you people are scaring me..you, and the dreaded left turners that always end up saying "I didn't see him"..pay attention people..you're not out there by yourself..
A few years ago, I wound up getting a Dallas to El Paso to Phoenix, to LA route with another new driver. After just over three days with only two hours of sleep I started heading back from LA to Fort Worth. Left LA at about 8 PM and all I can remember is getting on the freeway and driving for a few miles. Next thing I know I'm about 15 miles west of Phoenix. It's just after 5:30 in the morning and I'm going about 25MPH on the freeway slowly swerving back and forth from the outside lane to the shoulder. After waking up I looked in the rear view mirror to find a good 1 mile long line of vehicles behind me and tried desperately to stay in one lane and speed up. Of course I could have been partially awake the whole time and just didn't remember the drive.
I've also been with drivers that will pull over onto the side of the freeway and just fall asleep instantly. Along with some drivers that have falling sleep or been in the truck when the other driver fell asleep.
I ride a motorcycle..you people are scaring me..you, and the dreaded left turners that always end up saying "I didn't see him"..pay attention people..you're not out there by yourself..
Thought I'd be clever back in 2010 and ride three 1,300 mile days in a row on my then-new Ducati Multistrada, a fantastic multi-state kind of bike among other things. My record, to that point, was about 1,100 miles in one day. Prior to that 1,060 in one day was verified and certified by Iron Butt Association. So, I surmised I could pull this one off.
I got to mile 1,150 on Day 1 and was exhausted, almost into West Texas (from Santa Barbara). I nodded off and woke up. It happened again and the rumble strip woke me up on the right. I got off at the next truck stop and "pulled the goalie" on that stupid idea. Lucky to be alive, but luck runs out eventually.
Found a hotel in some border town in New Mexico, changed the entire focus of my ride for the next few days and had a fantastic time in upstate NM, Arizona, and on into Vegas for day or two before back into LA and then SB.
No more mongo Iron Butt rides are planned, before or since: hit my limit at 2,000 miles in two days (Seattle to Fresno, CA and back via scenic route and then I-5 home, in 2009).
Even driving drowsy is dangerous.
That is the point to consider that you could kill an entire family and stop to
have coffee, a walk or a nap if needed.
Thought I'd be clever back in 2010 and ride three 1,300 mile days in a row on my then-new Ducati Multistrada, a fantastic multi-state kind of bike among other things. My record, to that point, was about 1,100 miles in one day. Prior to that 1,060 in one day was verified and certified by Iron Butt Association. So, I surmised I could pull this one off.
I got to mile 1,150 on Day 1 and was exhausted, almost into West Texas (from Santa Barbara). I nodded off and woke up. It happened again and the rumble strip woke me up on the right. I got off at the next truck stop and "pulled the goalie" on that stupid idea. Lucky to be alive, but luck runs out eventually.
Found a hotel in some border town in New Mexico, changed the entire focus of my ride for the next few days and had a fantastic time in upstate NM, Arizona, and on into Vegas for day or two before back into LA and then SB.
No more mongo Iron Butt rides are planned, before or since: hit my limit at 2,000 miles in two days (Seattle to Fresno, CA and back via scenic route and then I-5 home, in 2009).
I was in the AF in Colorado in the 70s when I had an unexpected funeral to go to in NE Ohio. I didn't have much money so flying was out of the question. Driving my car would have been more expensive, but I did have a 360 Honda, that I could drive that got pretty good mileage. It was in May and a little rainy when I started out. A little cold, too. But I was dressed for it.
I finally got tired enough to look for a motel about the time I hit Indiana. Unfortunately it was Indy 500 time and there were no motels to be found. It tried sleeping on a picnic bench in a truck stop, but couldn't sleep. I pushed on. Somewhere about the Ohio state line, I woke up just before I would have run into an outboard motor on a boat being towed slowly behind a vehicle. Never again!
Sometime after that, I was driving truck for a living, and I discovered some secrets for power napping, that has served me since. If you start feeling g like you need to take a nap, pull into a rest stop or whatever, but stay in the car, adjust your seat back accordingly and take your nap. If you get out of the car first, it wakes you up enough that you won't be able to fall asleep when you get back in. After you nap, sometimes as little as 15 minutes is enough, get out of the car, go to the restroom or whatever, and then get back in and start driving.
Eating snacks is better than drinking coffee in some cases. I think coffee has a rebound effect, that, once it wears off you get even more sleepy.
I have, but only on those long multi-day roadtrips driving solo and they can be scary.
Driverless cars can’t come soon enough!
Only one time, about 20 years ago. Due to mechanical and other issues beyond my control I was running late finishing up a road trip, that I absolutely positively had to finish that day. It was about midnight and I had been driving all day. Way more hours, then I would normally do. I just remember suddenly waking up, and almost like I was still dreaming, I was driving on the interstate with my right wheels on the shoulder rumble strips, I had to swerve left to avoid scraping the guard railing. I can't remember anything immediately before that, or how long I was a sleep at the wheel. But the incident did wake me up enough to finish the last 45 minutes of my trip. I'm pretty sure the rumble strips saved my life.
I did one time 14 years ago. It had been a long and exhausting day. I decided to make the attempt to drive back during the early morning hours. I only made it 50 miles into the drive back when I woke up right after the left side of my car left the road and was heading for the oleander bushes along Highway 99 in California. I took the next exit and slept for a few hours.
I never did but I once experienced a change in consciousness that I knew was the beginning of falling asleep. Scare the heck out of me and I pulled over at the next rest stop.
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