12 interesting safety facts...

[Blackbird]

from the Akilla website (http://www.akilla.co.nz/)

1. If you drive after staying awake for 24 hours you are as dangerous as someone who is above the blood alcohol legal limit in New Zealand !

2. On four hours sleep one bottle of beer has the same effect on a driver’s control and reaction times as a six-pack of beer !

3. In Victoria, Australia they have introduced The Crimes (Dangerous Driving) Act 2004 and a driver who falls asleep at the wheel and causes a fatal crash faces up to five years in jail. In New Jersey (United States) a driver who falls asleep at the wheel and causes a fatal crash faces up to 10 years in jail and a $US 100,000 fine.

4. When you are feeling tired a bright white light (e.g the Sun) can without warning cause the retina of the eye to signal the brain that it's time to sleep.

5. At 100 km/hr, your car travels 27 metres in a single second. During a three second micro-sleep your car travels 83 metres, which is almost the length of a rugby field. Drivers are not always aware that they are micro-sleeping.

6. Drivers under the age of 30 are four times more likely to have a drowsy driving related crash than drivers over 30.

7. Most drowsy driving crashes occur 10 minutes from home and in built up areas rather than rural areas.

8. Having a sleeping front seat passenger can be fatal. Research has shown that a driver can pick up the sleep breathing patterns of a passenger and then fall asleep themselves.

9. Undiagnosed and untreated sleep medical conditions can result in the driver blacking out without warning.

10. The smell of new cars (gases given off by the various chemicals that glue together a car’s new vinyl and plastic components) can have a dangerous sleep-inducing effect.

11. A United Kingdom study of a truck fleet showed that serious crashes soared half an hour after the consumption of fatty or sugary foods.

12. There is no research evidence to support that a rest from driving will help you if you are drowsy from sleep deprivation. One needs to sleep (e.g take a 15 minute Power Nap).

[placidfemme]

Wow reading that is quite scary...

[scumdog]

13th fact: The majority of those that these facts pertain to don't know and don't care about them...

[vifferman]

The smell of new cars (gases given off by the various chemicals that glue together a car’s new vinyl and plastic components) can have a dangerous sleep-inducing effect.
Yeah, also puts a film on the windscreen.

One car maker (Renault or Citroen) have released a car this year with built-in scent dispenser for this very reason (the drowsiness one, not the mucky windscreen). They've avoided several popular scents like lavender because they promote drowsiness, and picked ones known to be stimulating, but not promoting agression.

Or summat. :whocares:

[placidfemme]

13th fact: The majority of those that these facts pertain to don't know and don't care about them...

Do you mean the actual drivers themselve?

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?

[spudchucka]

Here's a reminder about why we should always drive with two hands on the wheel, wear your seat belt and don't fall asleep at the wheel.

http://www.ugoto.com/videos/go/driverfallsasleepwhiledriving

I can't believe the dumb arse never at one stage puts two hands on the wheel, even after he realises he is about to crash.

[Waylander]

Well that's just what I needed to read after staying up all night and then having to drive between here and the dump atleast twice today...
Does it help if I got roughly 14 hours of sleep yesterday?

[Motu]

Do you mean the actual drivers themselve?

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?
I've had it happen to me - bit of a wake up call when you wake up! I pulled over and had a sleep in a nice warm stock pile of road metal.

[placidfemme]

I've had it happen to me - bit of a wake up call when you wake up! I pulled over and had a sleep in a nice warm stock pile of road metal.

It's good you didn't crash... Very scary.

[Waylander]

Here's a reminder about why we should always drive with two hands on the wheel, wear your seat belt and don't fall asleep at the wheel.

http://www.ugoto.com/videos/go/driverfallsasleepwhiledriving

I can't believe the dumb arse never at one stage puts two hands on the wheel, even after he realises he is about to crash.

Umm yea fuk that I'm not goin anywhere today. Looks almost like he got his head stuck between the door and the ground on the outside. Came very close to just that.

[bugjuice]

4. When you are feeling tired a bright white light (e.g the Sun) can without warning cause the retina of the eye to signal the brain that it's time to sleep.
like car headlights?

I've heard of many researchers using technology to scan your eye pattern and blink rate. Also your body temp and car control. All effected before you close your eyes. The car figures out you're heading to the land of nod and it'll do something to wake you up, such as blast you in the face with freezing cold air, turn the radio up unexpectantly etc etc, all in order to wake you up.

I've found myself hard to keep my eyes open. So I have pulled over. Thing is, making an active desicion like that, and pulling the car to a stop etc, often increases brain activity, which means you wake up again. Ironic. But I have pulled over, and had a 15 min snooze, and it's set me straight. Even pulled over with mates in the car who have all been tired too, and said that we're stopping, no matter what. We all snoozed, then they annoyed the shit out of me for the rest of the trip back. Sorted.

Not worth the risk peeps, tiredness is a killer. Then there's the people you hit and the chaos you cause.

I have felt tired riding the bike before too. I was on the motorway just going in a straight line forever. I started to vary the speed and switch lanes on purpose to give me something to do, but that just made more brain work, which made me tired still. So I stopped up and had a wee snooze, and a coffee, then I was buzzin for the rest of the way.. sorted.

[crazylittleshit]

Saftey Saftey Now people

[Ixion]

Do you mean the actual drivers themselve?

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?
Don't know that I've actually fallen completely asleep, but I have nodded to the extent that I was completely on "auto pilot".

All very well to say pull over and sleep , but if you're on a bike and the only place to sleep is in a snow drift ? And it's raining ? Nothing for it but to press on . Fortunately a bit further on I found one of those little roadside crates/sheds (like mini bus shelters) that farmers used to put their milk cans in, so I crawled into that and slept the night.

Bus shelters are also good if you need to get a kip , the old ones that were a proper little building, anyway.

I've also been so physically exhausted off-road that i just could not go on, stopped , laid down in a comfortable bush, and pronmptly fell dead asleep for about 5 hours. Which was very inconvenient.

[XP@]

Do you mean the actual drivers themselve?

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?
I've done it.. been woken up by a pothole and very big "<<< 35kph <<<" sign.

[Blackbird]

On the Grand Challenge 1000 miles in 24 hours ride about 3 years ago, a guy on a Beemer fell asleep and rode into a storm drain filled with water. Apart from being soaked through, he was unscathed and despite the bike being about 80% submerged, it started first crank after having been retrieved. Bike was largely unmarked too!

[Oakie]

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?

A woman I used to work with used to fall asleep while pillioning on her partner's bike. Bit inconvenient I guess when your pillion starts leaning to one side on a straight piece of road.

[Eurygnomes]

On the Grand Challenge 1000 miles in 24 hours ride about 3 years ago, a guy on a Beemer fell asleep and rode into a storm drain filled with water. Apart from being soaked through, he was unscathed and despite the bike being about 80% submerged, it started first crank after having been retrieved. Bike was largely unmarked too!

Obviously the bike was more relaxed while he was asleep as well! :) My friends were in a rolling car (in sand dunes) and the only one who came out completely unscathed (although all were relatively minor accidents) was the one who was asleep! All were unbelted (so you can drag bodies out easier).

[dveus]

from the Akilla website (http://www.akilla.co.nz/)

11. A United Kingdom study of a truck fleet showed that serious crashes soared half an hour after the consumption of fatty or sugary foods.


I spent alot of time around truck drivers when I was young, so this doesn't surprise me, as I doubt there would be many minutes of the day where they havn't had fatty or sugary food in the last half hour.

[DingDong]

Yeah, I've nodded off on my bike... but you wake up real quick :yes:

[Lou Girardin]

It's responsible for more accidents than the LTNZ will admit. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to prosecute drivers for being tired. And there's no money in doing so.

[Jantar]

Do you mean the actual drivers themselve?

Oh and... random question... I've never heard of anyone falling asleep while riding a bike... but does it happen? Is it common?

I have also fallen asleep on a bike once. It happened at around 4:00 am on a gravel road. I can remember going into a twisty section, then the next thing I was down on the road and waking up after negotiating some of the bends. I now recognise the signs of sleep approaching.

[myvice]

Had my son nod off and it freeked me out as we were passing a line of trucks at the time, I'v dozed myself on a bike once and in a car a couple of times, not a good look

[Will]

About a year ago someone riding their bike fell asleep while riding thru the Paraparas. He was on a BMW and had cruise control on. Got a broken ankle.



Also I have been behind someone who failed to take a corner. We had just had lunch half an hour earlier. I think it was related to the food. I don't eat any fatty carbohydrate foods when I am riding because it makes me sleepy. By the way, he walked away from the accident. He had landed in a blackberry bush, so he was asked allsorts of things about berry season etc. Also another good reason for wearing protective clothing. :rofl:

[Jackrat]

I've done it.. been woken up by a pothole and very big "<<< 35kph <<<" sign.

I've been very close to it after a trip from Ak to Wellywood an back,realised what was going on so stopped at a camping ground in Taupo,rented a cabin an crashed big time.I also had to pay for the three bludgers I was riding with.
They addmited they'd been on the verge as well but nobody wanted to be the one to say so.
Lucky for all involed I have no pride what so ever. :o :msn-wink:

[bgd]

Over here a couple of years back a guy fell asleep at the wheel, crashed down an embankment and ended up on a railway track. Train hits his car, derails and a number of people died. He survived and was jailed for 5 years (I think).

Lots of coverage about the dangers of sleep deprivation and driving after that one.

[scumdog]

It's responsible for more accidents than the LTNZ will admit. Because it is difficult, if not impossible, to prosecute drivers for being tired. And there's no money in doing so.

"Course there's money in it!!

Last one had to cough up $500 + $130 costs 'cos he fell asleep and crashed.

[XP@]

Seems to be a topical subject, there was an article last night on Cambell Live.

It seems some truckies are working too many hours...

Be wary of the big things on the road.

[Holy Roller]

Used to joke about the bike being on auto pilot to my work mates as most mornings I did not remember how I got to work. One day I fell asleep only to recover as was hard over in the gravel, don't know how i did not crash. As others have said I now know when to have a rest.

[thehollowmen]

I used to have blackouts when I was a teenager. was scary to wake up and find the car idling along by itself in a padock... stopped driving soon after that until everything was cleared up.

I do think it is a problem, and we do have 'driver reviver' stops down with free coffee here in the south island.