Drowsy Driving
What is "drowsy driving"?
Drowsy driving is a big problem that we face nowadays because a lot of people drive too long; a lot of people drive without getting a enough sleep, and you have the potential to fall asleep at the wheel. Many collisions and many fatalities each year result from people who are drowsy driving.
What are the warning signs of drowsy driving?
Drowsy driving can manifest itself in different ways but one of the primary ways is yawning. If you are yawning a lot at home or at work, that means you're tired. If you're doing it behind the wheel, it means you're driving drowsy. Other indicators of drowsy driving: you may forget where you just drove from, your mind may start to wander, you may become disorientated and forget which freeway you just transitioned from. Any of these things could be an indication to you that you are driving drowsy and should not be behind the wheel.
What should I do if I become drowsy while driving?
If you are driving and you become drowsy, there are certain things you can do. The primary one is to pull off the road and rest. Pull off the road, but pull off in a safe place, don't pull over in a dark alley or in a dangerous neighbourhood. Pull over in a safe spot, a well-lighted area with people around where you can safely get some rest before you get back on the road.
What is "highway hypnosis"?
Highway hypnosis is a very dangerous situation that really occurs when you're driving, generally late at night; generally on lonely stretches of road where there's a lack of mental stimulation. It's dark; you have no road signs to look at; you have no billboards to look at; and it's just dark all the way around you. All you may see is the line down the centre of the road and that's all you'll see for miles. You tend to become fixed on that, and due to the lack of sensory stimulation, you tend to be hypnotized. You may for a moment, forget your driving or become disoriented and forget where you are. This is highway hypnosis.
What are the dangers of "highway hypnosis"?
Highway hypnosis is very dangerous because it slows your reaction time. When you have highway hypnosis, you're not as focused on driving as you were earlier, and so anything can happen. Somebody may change lanes, another hazard may appear in front of you, and you just won't be able to react quickly in time to avoid a collision.
