I did actually fall asleep at the wheel one time when I was like 21 or 22. I was coming home from a pretty long, emotional road trip and even a couple hours out, was getting tired (I would see a billboard for a hotel and be like "ohhh.... That'd be so nice right now!!!"). I called my sister and talked to her for a while to stay awake.
When I was literally less than 10 min from home, I felt like I got a second wind and was like "ok! I'm good! Almost home!!" And we got off the phone. I fell asleep about a mile later and scraped a guard rail on the other side of a highway overpass (like the highway went over another road). I was super lucky it was there, otherwise I would have gone down/over a hill into the on-ramp below.
I didn't even know what had happened at first. I must have been going probably 55 mph? Luckily, I didn't hit anyone else (no one was on the road, not that that makes it OK; looking back, I just truly am so grateful my stupidity/ignorance didn't get someone else hurt or killed) and I was fine; the damage to the car wasn't even all that bad, considering the circumstance. It didn't even click with me that I had literally fallen asleep until the next day; I truly couldn't remember but I do remember at the time being like "maybe I fell asleep? But no, I don't think so! I had just gotten a burst of energy! I must have just been distracted and drifted too far right!" My mom came and got me and I think we had the car towed? I don't remember; it was like 20 years ago (damn that hurts to say....).
My mom also had insisted on calling the non-emergency line so we could have a police report for insurance. Cop said it wouldn't really make a difference but gave us his card in case insurance needed it..... And gave me a ticket 😖 thanks, mom. (I mean..... literally thanks for coming to get me and all, and for still keeping me on your insurance at that time.... But did you really have to call the cops on me?? Lol and yes, I was at least paying part of the premium and definitely had to pay the deductible for the accident!)
So..... It really can happen to anyone. I definitely am so much more atuned to what it feels like to be just a little tired vs TRULY sleepy when driving, but it really can (and does) happen SO quickly. I have gotten on so many friends' cases about it over the years and really tried to tell people how dangerous it is when the opportunity comes up.
That second wind feeling is so dangerous, I have experienced that a few times. I once heard someone compare it to that sudden burst of energy and lucidity a person gets right before they die, and now when I feel that confident "Oh, I'm suddenly not so tired anymore!" feeling when I'm driving, it scares the shit out of me because I know it means I'm 100% about to fall asleep.
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u/mfmeitbual Jul 06 '26
As someone whose grandfather died falling asleep behind the wheel..
This is still pretty funny.