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Programs
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Friday, 26 June 2009 09:25 |
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Driving a vehicle for long hours is tiring. However, there are things that good drivers do to help stay alert and safe.
Get enough sleep. Leaving on a long trip when you are already tired is dangerous. If you have a long trip scheduled, make sure that you get enough sleep before you go.
Schedule trips safely. Your body gets used to sleeping during certain hours. If you are driving during those hours, you will be less alert. Try to schedule trips for the hours you are normally awake. Many heavy motor vehicle accidents occur between midnight and 6: 00 am. Tired drivers can easily fall asleep at these times, especially if they don’t regularly drive during those hours. Trying to push on and finish a long trip at these times can be very dangerous.
Avoid medication. Many medicines can make you sleepy. Those that do have a label warning against operating vehicles or machinery should never be taken while driving. The most common medicine of this type is an ordinary cold pill. If you have to drive with a cold, you are better off suffering from the cold than from the effects of the medicine.
Keep cool
A hot, poorly ventilated cab can make you sleepy. Keep the window or vent cracked or use the air conditioner if you have one.
Take breaks.
Short breaks can keep you alert. But know that the time to take them is before you feel really drowsy or tired. Stop often. Walk around and inspect your vehicle. It can help to do some physical exercises.
When you are sleepy, trying to “push on” is far more dangerous than most drivers think. It is a major cause of fatal crashes. Here are some important rules to follow:
- Stop to sleep. When your body needs sleep, sleep is the only thing that will work. If you have to make a stop anyway, make it whenever you feel the first signs of sleepiness, even if it is earlier than you planned. By getting up a little earlier the next day, you can keep on schedule without the danger of driving while you are not alert.
- Take a nap. If you can’t stop for the night, at least pull off the road at a safe place, such as a rest area or truck stop, and take a nap. A nap as short as a half hour will do more to overcome fatigue than a half hour coffee stop.
- Avoid drugs. There are no drugs that can overcome being tired. While they may keep you awake for a while, they will not make you alert. And eventually, you will be even more tired than if you had not taken them at all. Sleep is the only thing that can safely overcome fatigue.
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