Gone are the good ol’ days when people met through mutual friends or coincidental encounters. The new pick up spot – the road?! Yeah, I don’t think so. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Driving Experiences’ Category
Keep Your Eyes on the Road
Monday, February 15th, 2010Stay Awake!
Monday, October 12th, 2009It is probably one of the scariest feelings in the world:
That moment when you realize you almost fell asleep while driving.
I’d never had a problem with this in all my years of driving until last week. Last week I had an interesting line-up of events which made for a series of nights featuring very little sleep: The Killers concert, a Mae concert and a Disney birthday celebration, all an hour and a half away from home. So each time, after a full day of school and work, I’d head over with some friends to Orlando, Fla., — town of magic — and partake in the spectacle of activities. Needless to say, with 8 a.m. classes on the following days, I got from 3-4 hours of sleep per night and spent about $100 in gas in three days. Ah, the price we pay for epic experiences.
If you’ve been in this situation before, you know how it gets when you’ve been standing for five hours straight and jumping up and down constantly for two. Then you have to drive back. For an hour and a half. Did I mention I got up at 6 a.m.? Exactly. An hour into the drive, the lines on the road started to blur, the loud and upbeat music wasn’t doing it anymore, and I was desperately taking sips from a Steak N Shake milkshake in hopes that the sugar would go straight to my brain and re-energize it. This sucks. And is EXTREMELY dangerous. I mean, going 70 mph while exhausted should probably be as illegal as driving drunk, but I guess they just don’t have a way to breathalyze exhaustion.
So, after experiencing this firsthand several times that week, here’s what I did. And then, here’s what I decided I should do next time.
What I did (in order):
Sipped Steak N Shake milkshake – effective for a short period of time.
Blared Upbeat music – effective mainly while singing.
Slapped my face – hurts. Not that effective.
Turned off all music – somewhat effective, snapped me out of my musical trance.
Talked to my sister – MOST effective. Talking to people when they’re asking you questions is quite helpful.
What I should do next time:
Switch drivers, if possible.
Pull over at the nearest McDonald’s and set a 10-minute alarm. Nap!
Here’s to staying awake,
Sarah
It is probably one of the scariest feelings in the world:
That moment when you realize you almost fell asleep while driving. (more…)
Students, watch the road
Thursday, September 10th, 2009Many students are back at school and already in the swing of new classes for the semester. If that’s you, good luck with your classes and I hope you get settled into the routine. If not, well, I hope you’re enjoying your extended summer break! I’m still getting adjusted to the “wake up early” mindset and trying to scrounge up food on a low budget – this might be hard!
Being back at school gives me a slightly different perspective on driving than I have during the summer time. At a large public university there tends to be a lot of people on the streets and sidewalks walking to and from class. It gets pretty crowded; but throw in a lot of vehicles trying to maneuver through the crowds and things are sure to get hectic.
One of my pet peeves is selfishness, especially while on the road. It’s not a good place to be self-absorbed. A good driver should constantly be aware of his or her surroundings and be able to react to it. Just the other day, I nearly witnessed a terrible accident; a driver who happened to be going a little too fast wasn’t paying attention to a cyclist and had to swerve to avoid him and nearly collided with another car. The driver was probably a bit shaken, but just imagine how the bike rider must have felt!
There are always other people on the road, but not always in cars; there are pedestrians and cyclists out there, too. A lot of unexpected things can occur when driving, so it’s vital to remain alert and aware whether you’re driving in your hometown, on a college campus or in an unfamiliar city. Share the road, everybody!
Many students are back at school and already in the swing of new classes for the semester. If that’s you, good luck with your classes and I hope you get settled into the routine. (more…)
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