DON’T SHRUG OFF FATIGUE 3 TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE AND AWAKE FOR LONG DRIVES
Depending on the road conditions and the reason for the drive, road trips can be either exciting or mind numbing. Either way, they’re almost always exhausting — and driving while fatigued can be incredibly dangerous. Fatigue is an incredibly common factor that leads to auto accidents, so to avoid endangering other drivers on the road with you, follow some of these tips.
automatically keep you awake and focused, but it’s a good habit to get into.
DRINK CAFFEINE
Coffee and energy drinks are no substitute for actual rest — but they can’t hurt to have handy either. When it comes to battling fatigue, you’ll want to fight it on as many fronts in as many ways as you possibly can.
NEVER DRIVE ALONE
On long road trips, always drive with other people. They can keep you awake with conversation, and, if you get too tired to keep driving, they can take over for you. If you drive alone, you drastically increase your chances of giving in to fatigue. If you ever find yourself in an accident where the other driver was fatigued, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Shuttlesworth Law Firm at (205) 322-1411 to find out what we can do for you.
REST WELL BEFOREHAND
TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS
Don’t start a road trip on less than ideal rest, if you can help it. Make sure to get eight hours of sleep the night before and to start your drive while you feel fresh and ready. Don’t wait to start your drive until later in the day.
When you’re on the road, you should stop every two hours. Pull over to the side of the road, in a well-populated area, if possible, and take 10–15 minutes to walk around and stretch. This will break up the tedium of the drive, and moving around will keep you from getting too tired.
MIND YOUR POSTURE
Slouching expedites fatigue. If you find yourself slouching after a few hours of driving, sit up straight and hold your head up. Periodically adjusting your posture won’t
FACTOID STRANGE NEW YEAR, ANCIENT CELEBRATION
TAKE A BREAK
Did you know that the first New Year’s Day happened over 2,000 years ago?
Sosigenes calculated a year to be about 365.25 days, and Caesar based the new Roman calendar off his calculations. He also decided to make Jan. 1 the first day of the new year, since January was named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. Various celebrations in Ancient Rome took place on that day.
New Year’s Day as we know it was actually established by the Romans. When Julius Caesar came to power, Rome still operated off of a calendar based on the lunar cycles, and it constantly needed correcting. So, in 45 B.C., Julius Caesar enlisted the help of renowned astronomer, Sosigenes, to create a new, more accurate calendar.
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