Sleeping and Driving

I was reading this post on Blogher today and it was too appropriate.

I have fallen asleep at the wheel before.  We were driving across country and I was told that we would be home for Christmas, even if it meant leaving me.  So despite my exhaustion, I drove on.  And fell asleep.  My sister woke me up just in time, thankfully, but it was really scary.  I really didn't give two shits whether we got home for Christmas or not at that point.  I was sleeping, if that meant them leaving me, so be it.  Everyone was angry.

That was the worst of it.  When I was commuting from Maine to school in New Hampshire to my work in a different part of New Hampshire and back to Maine everyday I got very tired while driving.  I used to pull off to the side of the road almost daily for a quick 20 minute power nap.  It was enough to get me to where I was going.

Sunday was something else, though.  I was very tired and Ryder was asleep in the car.  I was literally drifting off so I took the next exit and began looking for the Dunkin Donuts that was promised by a sign.  I might have just been too out of it to find it, but I circled the rotary three times before getting off at a random exit.  I drove, but could not find the shop.  I decided I could not drive any further.  I parked in a nice residential area on the side of the road, but not directly in front of any one house.  I locked my doors and fell right to sleep.

I think I was asleep for 20-ish minutes when this man knocked on my window.  I put the window down and the man was saying "You need to be careful!  You have a child in the car!  Police come around here - you really need to be careful."  I said that I knew, but I was just so tired. He said "You are lucky it is just me.  The police could have come by and, geez, you have a kid in the car.  You really need to be careful.  Are you okay?"  I said I was, just very tired.  He then asked me for a ride which I said no to.  He continued saying the same things then started to walk off.  When he was a ways off, I zipped out of there.

I didn't know what had just happened.  I was tired confused and now scared.  Had I been doing something wrong?  Did I put my child at risk?  What were my alternatives?  I cried the whole ride home.  I was so very confused.  I am not sure what that man thought I was doing in the car, but I am certain that I was not.

If confronted with the same situation again, I am pretty sure that I will do things exactly the same.