Uncategorized RoadWhinge on 19 Dec 2006 04:59 pm
Drinking and Driving. Not the Biggest Danger
Yep, the heading of this post is serious.
Don’t get me wrong, drinking and driving is bloody dangerous, but at least the people who do it are usually aware of what they are doing, and they try to drive as carefully as they can - even if it is only to avoid getting pulled over.
What I think is as big a hazard (and I know the authorities have identified it as such), is driving when tired. I recently drove on the M4 down to Bristol, and TWICE was nearly swiped by cars swerving madly across the road. The first one was drifting badly, when a van sounded its horn to wake the guy up and he swerved about a bit with the shock of it.
The second bloke nearly drifted right into my car and I could SEE his eyes closing - so I beeped at him, and then he did the sudden wake up thing. He then caught up with me again, and rubbed his eyes in a pantomime demo of tiredness by way of apology.
It’s dangerous and annoying, but it’s very hard to criticise, because I’ve done it myself. What makes it so dangerous is that, unlike when you’ve had a couple of beers, you may be quite unaware that you’re not in a good state to drive until it’s too late.
Once or twice I have felt fine and not realised how tired I was until my tyres bounced off the kerb and scared me back to wakefulness.