Emotions, Stress, and Fatigue

Stress caused by time constraints often results in traffic collisions, as do risky maneuvers taken to “make up” for lost time. Your actions behind the wheel are usually consistent with your behavior in daily life outside the vehicle. (An angry person, for example, often drives in an aggressive manner, while someone who is rested and calm normally drives in a way that is consistent with those feelings.)

A. Emotional and Physical Factors

A contributing factor to collisions or poor driving in general is the emotions of a driver. Emotions we contend with have a direct impact on the way in which we operate a vehicle. The following are emotions and physical factors that affect driving, and the suggested ways to cope with each of them. Addressing each of them before they become problems on the road helps prevent collisions.

1. Anger

The angry driver is the unsafe driver. Anger causes one to take chances, speed, and drive without control. Anger needs to be contained prior to driving, with an understanding that total focus is imperative behind the wheel. A level head is vital to driving.

2. Sleepiness

Drowsiness impairs your reaction time, judgment and vision. It is essential to get adequate sleep and to recognize signs of drowsiness before operating a motor vehicle. If you feel tired, pull off the road and get some rest prior to attempting to drive. When the body is tired, you are less alert, and your chances of a crash are heightened, especially when driving late at night. If you are tired, the only cure is to remove yourself and your vehicle from the road and get the much-needed rest. When you drive while tired, you are a danger to yourself and all others on the road.

3. Daydreaming

It is important to keep your mind focused on the task of driving while you are behind the wheel. If the mind wanders, and your eyes are not focused on the road, you may not see hazards and have ample reaction time.

4. Physical Limitations

You must assess your own physical limitations prior to operating a motor vehicle. The inability to reach a vehicle’s clutch or turn indicator, for example, may contribute to a collision. Driving is truly a physical activity, and like with any other activity, your body is limited in what it can do.

5. Eyesight/Vision

Proper vision is important in most aspects of life, yet in no area may it be more vital than while driving an automobile. As people age, most are affected by a deterioration of their eyesight. Many motorists take the ability to see things clearly for granted, but increased age or changing vision may require corrective measures. Driving a motor vehicle with anything but the best attainable vision is simply a hazard. Ego or lack of recognition of poor vision can make the best driver dangerous behind the wheel. Butch Cassidy once said, “I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals.”

Although a vision test is required to receive a driver’s license, the time between renewal exams is often lengthy, and eyesight deterioration can begin during that time. Periodic visits to an optometrist or ophthalmologist should be part of a safe driver’s routine. Corrective glasses or contact lenses must be worn when poor eyesight warrants. Drivers in need of corrective lenses commonly find themselves squinting to see street signs, pedestrians or other cars. These warning signs may signal the need to see an eye doctor before a collision occurs.

6. Illness and Medication

Some conditions may cause drowsiness or dizziness, which can affect your ability to drive. It is not safe to drive if you are affected by medications taken for an illness. Over-the-counter medications can make you drowsy and affect your driving skills. It is important to follow these rules:

• Under no circumstances, unless directed by a physician, should you mix medications.
• Never mix alcohol with your medications.
• Drowsiness caused by illness or medications directly alters decision-making and the ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

B. Recognition of Emotional Factors

Fighting fatigue while behind the wheel is never advisable. Driving while irritated, upset or shaken substantially alters your judgment when behind the wheel. The angry driver is the aggressive offensive driver, and thus the dangerous driver. Stress related to personal or work life interferes with safe driving andis a negative influence on driving habits. You must evaluate your state of mind before attempting the operation of a motor vehicle, and you should not drive when heightened stress, anger, emotions or fatigue are present. When emotions are exaggerated or heightened, limiting driving activities can help decrease potential collisions and injuries.

C. Effects

The safe operation of a motor vehicle requires a person to be focused while behind the wheel, undisturbed by thoughts of aggravation and distress. The driver with a wandering mind caused by any one of the aforementioned effects has a decreased awareness of the road, a slower reaction time, and an overall lack of safe driving habits. This driver is more likely to make unsafe lane changes, speed, and take chances on the road. The ability to anticipate and determine upcoming hazards and conditions is also adversely affected.

D. Collision Potential

The emotionally distressed or fatigued driver is more likely to be involved in a traffic collision than someone who is rested and clear-headed. A tired or disturbed driver or one with a cluttered mind has a decreased ability to avoid an automobile crash. Keep distractions (such as children, pets and cell phones) within the vehicle to a minimum, and never drive when drowsy or tired. Remember to concentrate on the road, not on other matters. Robert Frost once wrote, “Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.”

E. Drivers’ Attitude towards State Driving Laws

Motor vehicle operators often look upon traffic laws with disdain. People stress the negative aspects of laws rather than the positive. But traffic laws are in place to save lives and are for the benefit of everyone. Without laws, anarchy would reign supreme, and driving would be the least of our troubles. Drivers, on average, violate traffic laws over 400 times before they are actually cited. The occasional citation a driver receives encourages participation in a traffic safety program and, reminds the driver that safer driving habits are needed.

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