The road is unpredictable and challenging. Being alert and awake is a huge must!
As you lock in your seatbelt and grab a hold of the steering wheel, you have to be wholly prepared for what may come your way as you drive. Long and wide roads are refreshing to drive through. On the other hand, congested and heavy traffic is an annoying hassle. Some cars are moving swiftly while some are progressing slowly. There are careful pedestrians that give you relief, but reckless ones are a maddening headache.
Loads of elements, vehicles, people and possibilities can be encountered while at the controls of your own car. Being complacent will never be the key. Total attentiveness to the road, to pedestrians, to your movements and to everything happening on the streets and highways you are traveling in is necessary for safe driving.
One of the most overwhelming hurdles of drivers is when they suddenly feel sleepy while driving. It could be early in the morning, just right in the afternoon, late in the evening or deep at midnight when you will feel sleepiness trying to knock on your head whilst behind the wheel. It chooses no time and no occasion to visit you. Sometimes, you sleep late but have to wake up early to drive for the family. In some instances, you are on the way home, feeling very tired and sleepy after a long exhausting day at work. Or maybe, you are just naturally an easy-to-get-sleepy kind of person. Whatever the reason for your sleepiness is, see to it that you do something to shoo it away at the moment you are in charge of the wheels!
If you fall asleep or zone out, you will most likely get into a serious road accident! You have to be very careful and mindful. Do not just keep on driving even when you already sense drowsiness falling on you. Be safe, and drive safely. Keep your eyes open and your mind conscious. Here are 5 important things to do when you feel sleepy while driving.
1. EAT A CANDY:
Grab something to munch on. A piece of candy will do. It’s easy to find and carry, so you probably have one or more in your pocket; if not, there’s a vendor in various areas in the road. This simple candy is a saving tool that will keep you busy and aware of what you are doing.
Mints, to be specific, are best to wake you up. The menthol sensation they give will help boost your attention. As you may have probably experienced, inhaling the scent of menthol oils and balms feel refreshing and alerting. Some studies say that this aroma can improve brain function. Similarly, menthol candies and peppermint gums can help in energizing and amping up drivers. They may augment their good mood, so you feel more stimulated on the road.
2. LET ANOTHER DRIVER IN THE CAR DRIVE.
You can always seek a helping hand. This time, it’s literally another hand that you need.
This is only suitable when there is someone with you in the car who is also a driver. They do not have to be in the same level of driving skills as yours; they just need to be a knowledgeable driver who you can count on.
It could be your husband or wife, your child or parent, your cousin or uncle/aunt, your friend or workmate. It doesn't matter who it is; as long as it’s a fellow driver in the same car, do not hesitate to ask them to replace you for the meantime. Let them know that you are sleepy, and they won’t complain.
Surely, it is for everybody’s safety and protection. While somebody else takes the wheel for you, make sure to get a nice shuteye. After charging up yourself, you would be ready to drive more properly again later.
3. FIND A SAFE AREA TO PARK AND NAP.
The best thing to do when you already feel like dozing off is to stop driving as immediately as possible. If you are still on a highway where you cannot instantly find an area to halt in, hang on until you locate a good space.
If it’s nighttime, make sure to turn the headlights on, so you can see if there are line markings
along the road where you can park for a while. Some streets have roadside line-markings designated for public parking. Have a clear eye for them.
Also, searching for the next stop-over, a nearby lay-by or enclosed parking lots is very advantageous! They are the most ideal places for you to responsibly park your car while not blocking any road. Take as much time as you need to repower yourself for another hour of driving!
4. TURN ON THE MUSIC:
Get pumped up by the beat of the drums, the strums of the guitar and all the other sounds from diverse musical instruments weaved together with the harmony of your adored astounding singers!
Turn on the radio or the music from your phone connected to the car. If you have some saved songs in the car audio files, that’s cool!
Play your favorite jam! Music keeps you awake while driving as it lets you listen, sing along and move. Just make sure that it’s not a slow or soothing song that will lullaby you to slumber faster. Choose upbeat and rock songs that will let you get neither a light sleep nor a power nap. Enjoy with your road squad. Immerse in those songs perfect for a pleasant road trip!
5. CONVERSE WITH YOUR PASSENGERS:
It’s a big boon to have passengers when you are feeling like you’re going to sack out any moment while driving. Converse with them to keep you invigorated. Let them know when you feel sleepy, so they can help you deter it. Especially if they do not know how to drive, this is one of the best support they can give you.
It’s OK to tell and listen to stories, to laugh and to have a seemingly endless conversation in the car; just don’t fall asleep while driving.
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AWAKE, ALERT, ALIVE!
Power is in your hands and feet when you are in the driver’s seat, sweeping through bustling roads and busy streets!
It’s not a sin to get sleepy while driving because the sleepiness just happens to arrive anytime. What’s wrong is that provided you can do something about it, but you keep on driving even when you know you might fall asleep! The feeling of sleepiness itself is already a warning! That equates to putting your life, your loved ones and other people at risk.
This always goes down to your trust towards yourself that you will certainly never have a snooze while behind the wheel. Some people still drive even after feeling sleepy because they know that the degree of it is not very much to put them to a careless nap. But still, realize that you have to move more wisely and cautiously to fight the sleepiness away and to drive assuredly.
Stay alert and awake, so you can stay well and alive!
Note - Nicole Ann Pore is the writer of this article
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