3 Things To Do If You Start Feeling Drowsy Behind The Wheel

If you’re on the road, being alert behind the wheel is the best way to avoid getting into any kind of accident. However, for people who are spending a lot of time behind the wheel, whether you drive for a living or are taking a long road trip, it can be easy to start feeling drowsy after you’ve been driving for so long. But to be safe, you’ve got to know what you can do if you start to feel this way in order to keep yourself and others from harm.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three things to do if you start feeling drowsy behind the wheel.

Know The Danger Signs

The first thing you have to know in order to take the right steps when you start feeling drowsy behind the wheel is what the danger signs for drowsiness are. If you’re just feeling a little rundown but can still focus on the road, you likely won’t have any issues. But when it starts affecting your driving, this is when you need to be concerned.

Some of the signs you should be on the lookout for include things like blinking more than normal, blanking out for how you go to where you are now, missing your exit or your turns, or hitting the rumble strips on the side or middle of the road. If you begin doing any of these things, there’s a good chance that you’re too drowsy to safely be on the road right now.

Find A Way To Wake Yourself Up

If you notice any of the above-mentioned things happening while you’re driving, it’s helpful to find some way to wake yourself up and get your attention back.

To do this, you might want to try things like listening to music that gets you grooving, getting something to drink that contains caffeine, or calling someone to help keep you awake and alert through your conversation. These things might work for a while, but if you start getting more drowsy, you’ll want to try something else.

Pull Over For A Nap

When you’re feeling too tired to safely be on the road right now, the best thing you can do is to allow yourself some time to rest before you keep driving. While this might put you behind schedule, it’s much better for you to be late but safe than to wind up in a car accident.

If you’re not close to home, you may want to pull over to a safe, well-lit place so that you can take a short nap. Even sleeping for fifteen or twenty minutes can be very helpful for giving you more energy and better attention behind the wheel.

If you ever start to feel drowsy when you’re driving, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you safely address this issue.