You may believe that you can stop yourself from falling asleep when you are driving during your Uganda self drive, but you can’t. You may not even know you’ve dozed off especially on the highways where we do not have speed bumps. This is more likely to happen if you are sleep-deprived, driving long distances without rest breaks, traveling at night, driving alone, riding long rural highways, taking medicine that causes sleepiness, or drinking alcohol.
What to do if you doze off while driving
If you experience sudden sleepiness while driving or notice one of the other warning signs listed above, you should stop driving as quickly as possible. Pull up into the next rest stop or any other safe, well-lit space that allows you to safely park and not obstruct the road. You can choose to park and take a nap.
One thing to keep in mind is that coffee and other caffeinated beverages provide a temporary energy boost. After the effects of the caffeine have worn off, the feelings of drowsiness may return. A cup of coffee or two coupled with a brief roadside nap is recommended, but drinks to keep you awake while driving may not provide enough alertness on their own.
Get enough sleep
Travelers need about eight to 10 hours of daily sleep. Many self-driving travelers do not meet this benchmark due to the limited time they have in a destination and will feel more tired behind the wheel as a result. If you are a rental company that has clients with many destinations to visit and limited time, stress the importance of adequate sleep and the dangers of getting behind the wheel when tired or drowsy.
Have a less fixed itinerary
While planning your trip to Uganda, always have a travel itinerary where the destinations are just 3 to 5 hours a part especially if you are a solo traveler or the only one driving the rest of the group during your trip. Having stopovers to relax a bit from the drive will also make the journey less boring and tiresome.
Time your drives around peak sleepiness periods
Avoid driving in the late afternoon or between the hours of 12 am and 6 am, when the highest number of drowsiness-related accidents occur. If this is not possible, then be as vigilant as possible while you’re on the road. Watch for warning signs that you’re feeling drowsy, such as drifting across lanes or hitting rumble strips, and keep an eye on other drivers for the same behaviors.
Avoid alcohol if you plan to drive
Drinking and driving obviously poses safety risks to you, your passengers, and other motorists on the road. That said, even legal amounts of alcohol for operating a vehicle can cause drowsiness behind the wheel. You should be especially careful if you already feel tired.
The same is true of prescription and over-the-counter medications, particularly anti-allergy pills, that induce feelings of sleepiness. Be sure to check the side effects of any new medications before driving. If these effects include drowsiness, kindly hire a car with a driver in order to be safe.
Prepare for the Drive
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s easier to prevent yourself from getting drowsy than it is to wake yourself up. You can prevent drowsy driving through proper preparation. Plan you trip will few driving hours to the next destination and enough resting time after strenuous activities like hiking the Rwenzori mountains and gorilla habituation.
Make sure to pack some easy to grab snacks. Consider creating a playlist of songs specifically designed to keep you awake on some of the longer stretches of road. Music can keep you company especially if you are a solo traveler.
Adjust the Car
Everything from the position of the seat to the temperature in the car can affect your drive. Create an ideal driving environment in rental car. Put your seat in a new position. As soon as you get used to the position and it starts to feel natural, adjust it again. The change will help to revitalize you and keep you from getting too comfortable. Of course, make sure you can still use your mirrors and drive safely.
It is harder to fall asleep when you are cold. Roll down your windows for a while or turn on the air conditioning. At Self-Drive Uganda, all the cars provided have working air conditioning. Make sure it is cold enough to keep you awake and alert, but warm enough to still think and function properly.
Take a break
The are many places where you can stopover to relax along the way to the main destinations which are most likely the national parks. You will always find a gas station, restaurant, or even a cultural site and take a quick walk around. The walk will get your blood pumping and reinvigorate you.
Find a safe place to park your car, put on your hazard lights, get out of the car, and start doing some jumping jacks. If you can do this at a rest stop, great, but you can pull over anywhere with a significant shoulder and start doing jumping jacks. Always maintain a safe distance from the road and make sure your truck is visible to drivers.
In conclusion
Trying to drive when you’re too tired to stay awake is a potentially fatal mistake especially when you are driving in a foregin environment. So, if you find yourself dozing off behind the wheel, stop driving and take a nap before getting back on the road. In some cases, even if it’s just for 10 minutes, that can be enough time to feel refreshed and ready to drive again with less risk of falling asleep at the wheel or crashing into something in your sleep-deprived state.
