Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Richard Latimer

I just had a massive let off from either killing myself, a load of other people or both. Either way fractions more to one side and I was either in a coffin or a jail cell.

I've had moments before where I've done the whole blinking thing and opened a window etc.... to stave off tiredness but this just came out of the blue largely. One minute I was driving along a road I know like the back of my hand, next I heard a thud, looked at my wing mirror which was pushed in, looked up and realised I was on the wrong side of the road heading for oncoming traffic.

I swerved quickly to avoid and then signalled to pull over and wait. Ridiculously enough the first thing going through my mind at the time was what an inconvenience if I have to claim on my insurance policy. I waited for a bit and waited some more. Could see the traffic wasn't stopping and no cars had veered off the road.

At this point the enormity of of what had just happened started to hit home and I started shaking. I sat there for a good 5 minutes both waiting for someone to come to the door and also calming myself sufficiently before I felt ready to drive on.

Nobody came, I think it's probably unlikely that I'll get a knock on the door from police later as surely would have happened by now (was around hr and a half ago) and so now I'm just left with a serious wake up call to stop burning the candle at both ends.

Someone was seriously watching over me today!

When I think about what could and should have happened I'm in bits. Just waking up on the wrong side of the road. There aren't many accounts online of people who fell asleep at the wheel and ALMOST crashed. Will take me a while to get over what happened that's for sure.

Richard Latimer

@keith-anderson Thanks

Akiva Anderson

@richard-latimer said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

@martin-futter said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

@richard-latimer glad you didn't crash mate! hope you are ok

Yeah just can't concentrate on anytihng at the moment. Reliving it over and over. The difference between someone who should be banged up for ruining lives and someone who got lucky......me.......mere fractions, seconds!

Don't dwell on the negative. You didn't kill or injure anyone and you're not in jail. Are you lucky? Of course! Luck and randomness are at the center of everything.

Get up, dust yourself off and be thankful you've lived to see another day

Richard Latimer

@neil-mallett said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

Glad you're OK fella. So long as you remember what nearly happened you'll never forget to get a decent kip when you get the chance.
Nodding off or almost nodding off is a daily danger for lorryists, I know, I've been there. Do that job long enough you learn to kip every chance you get & you can get pretty good at it. See a lorry in a layby with the curtains shut? That's a sleeping driver, even though the entire truck rocks everytime a vehicle goes past & despite the constant road noise, chances are he/she is asleep within minutes of parking up.
As mentioned in the recent thread about ilnesses, nothing is more important than your health. Look after yourself.

Thanks

It's getting a little easier to drive every day without reliving it. Like you said, I'll never neglect to get enough sleep again even if it means power napping when I get the chance.

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Glad you're OK fella. So long as you remember what nearly happened you'll never forget to get a decent kip when you get the chance.
Nodding off or almost nodding off is a daily danger for lorryists, I know, I've been there. Do that job long enough you learn to kip every chance you get & you can get pretty good at it. See a lorry in a layby with the curtains shut? That's a sleeping driver, even though the entire truck rocks everytime a vehicle goes past & despite the constant road noise, chances are he/she is asleep within minutes of parking up.
As mentioned in the recent thread about ilnesses, nothing is more important than your health. Look after yourself.

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it would be a good idea if youve not already, to talk this out aloud with someone and really aim to accept what happened as apposed to looking at what could have happened, which did not.

avoid alcohol - meditate if possible - relax with raised legs and remember all is ok, this may have prevented a bad accent for the future.

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@richard-latimer said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

@vito-carrescia said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

Happened to me once as well, but I was on the highway. I remember I was overtaking a lorry. Suddenly a voice in the back of my head said "remember you're driving". I opened my eyes and the lorry was far behind me.. I'm still shaking thinking about it..

Had you been failing to get enough sleep or working too hard or what? I'm dreadful at making myself go to bed even though I usually have an early start but this has put the fear of god into me.

Bot of them. I was younger and at the time I thought I could handle it. I was wrong.

Ryan

@richard-latimer Hope you got a good nights sleep buddy and very glad that you are ok.

Richard Latimer

@dave-jessop said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

Glad you are OK mate - not happened to me but I did have a tyre blow out a few weeks ago that threw me into the oncoming lane - that was scary enough - waking up heading for traffic would really freak me out

Thanks, yeah it did.Been totally fixated and snappy all day. Had to tell kids what happened as explanation why I kept blowing my top. Hopefully a good nights sleep and it will all feel a little further away.

Richard Latimer

@vito-carrescia said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

Happened to me once as well, but I was on the highway. I remember I was overtaking a lorry. Suddenly a voice in the back of my head said "remember you're driving". I opened my eyes and the lorry was far behind me.. I'm still shaking thinking about it..

Had you been failing to get enough sleep or working too hard or what? I'm dreadful at making myself go to bed even though I usually have an early start but this has put the fear of god into me.

Richard Latimer

@vito-carrescia said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

Happened to me once as well, but I was on the highway. I remember I was overtaking a lorry. Suddenly a voice in the back of my head said "remember you're driving". I opened my eyes and the lorry was far behind me.. I'm still shaking thinking about it..

It's terrifying to think of what could have happened. I can't even recall what went through my head at the time but it was just instant turn the wheel and speed up to get past before I get smashed.

? Offline

Happened to me once as well, but I was on the highway. I remember I was overtaking a lorry. Suddenly a voice in the back of my head said "remember you're driving". I opened my eyes and the lorry was far behind me.. I'm still shaking thinking about it..

Richard Latimer

@martin-futter said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

@richard-latimer just a life lesson mate, don't beat yourself up for it, sure it won't happen again now!

Thanks

Martin

@richard-latimer just a life lesson mate, don't beat yourself up for it, sure it won't happen again now!

Richard Latimer

@martin-futter said in Falling Asleep at the Wheel:

@richard-latimer glad you didn't crash mate! hope you are ok

Yeah just can't concentrate on anytihng at the moment. Reliving it over and over. The difference between someone who should be banged up for ruining lives and someone who got lucky......me.......mere fractions, seconds!

Martin

@richard-latimer glad you didn't crash mate! hope you are ok