Long Trips on Old Audis NAC

[George Selby]

At 10:16 AM 1/17/02, you wrote:
> > Has anyone else experienced that - sleeping with open eyes while driving?
> >
> >  Yeah, yeah, I know, all the sly remarks about how most people appear to be
> >  asleep if one was to judge from their driving skill, but I mean really -
> >  actually fall asleep due to fatigue while driving, but still having your
> >  eyes send messages to the brain to the extent that you could still make
> >  appropriate steering inputs, and "wake up" just in time to avoid an
> >  accident...?
> >
>
>My brother-in-law is a long haul truck driver and he recalled an instance
>when he drove a very long stretch with absolutely no recollection. The other
>drivers in his vicinity told him that he made all the normal moves, such as
>signaling and shifting.

While attending NC State, I would frequently make a 90 mile trip between 
Raleigh and my hometown.  This trip was frequently made at late hours of 
the night.  Most of the trip was on a four-lane divided highway that the 
scenery never changed on.  You had to make one turn from one highway to 
another, but if you didn't see the turn, you really couldn't tell which 
road you were on for about 20 miles after the turn off, as there were no exits.

Anyway, on several occasions, I had absolutely no recollection of making 
the turn, and in fact panicked that I missed it a couple of times, but it 
seems I did in fact make it every time, I'm sure I was sleeping with my 
eyes open at least one of those times.  I also used to think that if I 
closed one eye, I could let that side of the brain sleep, and drive  on the 
other, it apparently worked, as I never wrecked while making the regular trip.

As a related funny (I guess) story, a former manager of mine delivered in 
Miami.  During this time period, there was an idiot throwing bricks at 
people's cars from the side of I-95.  Well, my former manager fell asleep 
while driving on that stretch of highway, and awoke after hearing a loud 
bump to find his car skidding sideways down the road and then he hit the 
concrete barrier.  The good news is that he drifted onto the shoulder lane 
while asleep and hit the brick throwing individual who was standing on the 
shoulder, and then wrecked his car.  After that, no more bricks on I-95 for 
a while.  Police told him he did the community a service and let him off 
with no charges.

Another joy of sleeping in cars occurs while as a passenger.  I have awoken 
several times to witness a wreck by the car right in front of the car I was 
riding it.  Quite disturbing when you just wake up.


George Selby
83 Audi Coupe GT
gselby4x4 at earthlink.net