SLEEPY DRIVERS… Dangerous Ones

The other day, my best comrade Clyde told me that he will treat me out for some drinks. He had some commission from his work. Well, good for him. He was not good in that field before – sales talk – but now he learned to love it and he did do well in it.

The night he promised came. So we went to a popular night-out place several blocks away from us. By the way, he lives far from our place by almost two cities away from us. So he had to come driving his….. Oh my God! The latest model of range Rover! He has gone too far. He fetched me up at our house at around eight in the evening and we headed straight to the said place.

He ordered something to eat first and some bottles of beer. I saw in his eyes the joy and contentment of what he has right now. He said he is very happy with how things are coming his way. He has a blissful family, with lovely and caring wife (Geena) and two lovely daughters who are in the top of their classes. Last month, they have just moved in to their new house- a very big two-storey modern house. He has a stable job with lots of commissions. And he just had a new car aside from the old one that he had when he first got his job and is now being used by his wife. He said, he could not ask for more. He is very much contented and he wanted to share his blessings and happiness. So I said, “Cheers!”

Consequently he ordered another set of beers. Then another set. Beers keep coming set by set. I had 5 beers that night, if my memory serves me right. LOL. When I told him that I’m already drunk that is the time that he asked for our bill, paid and went straight out of the place. He offered to take me home but I said no. Our house is just a few blocks away from that place so I decided just to walk to breathe fresher air after a nerve-racking and strenuous day. So he drove home then.

When I arrived home, I went straight to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and headed straight to our bed with Jenny never noticing me that I’m home already. When I was about to be in deep slumber, my phone rang. It was Clyde! He told me that he almost has met an accident at the highway. He had fallen asleep while driving and almost bumped on a huge post. He was very thankful to the man who’s following him in the highway. He was awakened by the deafening horn of the car of the said man. Thanks that nothing happened to him. I think what Evelyn Kanter wrote in her article is all true.

Really, a tired driver is a precarious driver. So beware!...LOL. If you suspect a driver is tired and drowsy, let him pull over and take some rest. In the article, it is said that sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases aggressiveness. Warnings to it are like to those warnings about driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. So what happened to Clyde is like he was drugged or drowsy…but it’s true that he is drowsy and drunk that time. Just like driving drunk or drugged, drowsy driving can result to make mistakes behind the wheel – that can injure or kill the driver, passengers and even pedestrians.

There are 100,000 police-reported passenger vehicle crashes every year according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and drowsiness or fatigue is the chief source of it. According to statistics, there are at least 1,500 people died and 71,000 injured. But there are still more unreported cases that are the similar to those mentioned above.

source: www.edmunds.com