Stay Awake!

October 12th, 2009
It 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. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Driving Experiences | 4 Comments »

Students, watch the road

September 10th, 2009
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. 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. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Driver's Seat Basics, Driving Experiences | No Comments »

Too close for comfort

September 3rd, 2009

I heard about this video on the radio last week (while driving, actually) and checked it out a few days later. Read the rest of this entry »

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Driver’s Seat

July 31st, 2009
About three years ago this month I was still in high school, like perhaps some of you are, and making decisions about college. Specifically, how to pay for it. It’s expensive, for sure. It was in the summer of 2006 that I was scouring the Internet for scholarships for college, which for me was fast approaching. I happened across an interesting one, partly by accident: The Bridgestone Americas Safety Scholars Scholarship, then an essay contest dedicated to raising awareness of driving safety in teenagers and young adults.
I didn’t know it then, but my little idea in my little essay touched off something that grew bigger than I could imagine. My little idea was a Web site, full of information and incentives for young people to collect. Fortunately for me, Bridgestone Americas liked my idea a lot, enough to come all the way out to my high school in Missouri and present the award to me in person in front of the entire student body, along with Mario Andretti, the Bridgestone Americas spokesperson, racing legend and one of my personal sports heroes. I couldn’t believe it!
Since then, Bridgestone Americas’ Safety Scholars program has become a contest of videos instead of essays, and my little idea for a Web site has manifested itself into the ThinkBeforeYouDrive.org site. Now I have the opportunity to continue promoting safe driving thanks to the good people of Bridgestone and this blog they’ve set up. I feel proud of this thing that came about from my simple little essay, and I’ll be here every so often sharing my thoughts and experiences with driving and safety. Hope to see you around!
Konrad Hughes

About three years ago this month I was still in high school, like perhaps some of you are, and making decisions about college. Specifically, how to pay for it. It’s expensive, for sure. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Driver's Seat Basics | No Comments »

Rules

July 14th, 2009

The rules are pretty simple:

“If we EVER find out you were talking on your phone while driving we’re taking your car away.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Happy summer!

June 29th, 2009

I don’t know about you, but I usually find myself wondering why summer has this reputation of being a long, uninterrupted stretch of vacations and relaxation…when in reality, with summer jobs, internships and even classes, my summers tend to be as busy as the school year. Read the rest of this entry »

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Prom Night

April 8th, 2009

During my time at high school, I went to two different proms. My junior prom was okay; we all rode together in an over sized pick-up truck and had a good time hanging with friends the whole night. My senior prom was way more fun, we all chipped in and got a limo — going broke a bit, but looking back it was a great idea. Comparing the two, my advice to those of you gearing up for prom would be to either fund raise for a limo or get someone completely serious to drive. Read the rest of this entry »

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Spring Break

March 25th, 2009

Ah, spring break. Time to hit the beach, ski slopes, or your friendly neighborhood movie theater should neither beach nor slopes be an option. I did quite a lot of driving during my spring break this year; here’s my top three things to remember while you forget all things school: Read the rest of this entry »

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Time in Chicago

February 24th, 2009

How do you northerners do it? During my trip to Chicago last week for the Bridgestone Americas Premiere Party at the Chicago Auto Show, I managed to catch a miserable cold within my first three hours of arriving. Read the rest of this entry »

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Welcome to the Driver’s Seat!

February 9th, 2009

Chances are you and I aren’t so different. We both drive. We both pay outrageous amounts of money for gas so we can get from point A to point B. And we’re both constantly reminded to “buckle up” and “obey the law” so that we “arrive alive.” Read the rest of this entry »

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