The Garage Plan Shop Blog

With the start of summer come plans for family road trips and vacations. If you’ll be taking a road trip or driving for an extended period of time for some other reason, it is necessary that you know how to identify a fatigued driver and what to do about it so you don’t endanger yourself, your passengers or other motorists while you’re on the road. Below are three steps to staying awake at the wheel as identified in a study about drowsy driving for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention:

STEP 1 – Pay attention for signs of drowsy driving. Yawning frequently, drifting from your lane, hitting a rumble strip on the side of the road, blinking rapidly, not remembering the last few miles and missing your exit are all signs of drowsy driving. When things go sideways, it’s best to have an auto accident attorney you can rely on.

STEP 2 – If you notice that you’re doing any of the behaviors mentioned above, it is time to pull over. Rolling the window down or cranking up the music seem like they ought to keep you alert, but the truth is, they do not. Instead of trying to power thru your trip, get off the road and take a break. The most common cause of truck accidents is fatigue by overworked drivers. If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, an experienced truck accident attorney can help you obtain better injury settlements.

STEP 3 – Recharge. Park your car in a safe place, lock your doors and set the alarm on your cell phone. Take a nap and get some rest. When the alarm goes off, take a quick walk around the parking lot or through the nearest store. Then buy a cup of coffee or a snack. This will reenergize you for the next leg of your driving marathon.

For more safety tips like these, check out our Driving Safety blogs.

Tags: Driving Safety, driving safety tips, driving tips, drowsy driving, road trip safety, road trip tips