Live Music and Drowsy Driving
Getting a driver’s license opens a whole new world. I still remember the day I got mine. I was smiling ear-to-ear for my picture at the DMV by the highway. Now I could drive to the mall myself! There was not a lot to do in my hometown. More importantly for me and my friends, it meant we could drive to Lawrence ourselves.
I’ve always loved music. From my dad playing Bob Dylan and The Beatles to my older brothers blasting The Red Hot Chili Peppers, our house was always full of music. My friends and I loved seeing live music, but all of the bands we wanted to see would never come to Topeka. They would play in Lawrence, which is about a 30 minute drive up I-70.
Once I got my license we went to Lawrence to watch music whenever possible, which was just about every weekend. I think I even convinced my parents to let me go to a show during the week once or twice.
One show in particular stands out for me, but not for the reason you may think. We were seeing some dreary Nebraska pop/rock (such a great concert). The show was in Lawrence, and I had driven two friends. After the concert we walked back to the car. It had been a busy week for me, lots of school work leading up to finals. I hadn’t slept much. I hadn't even gotten to the highway when my friend Melissa insisted on driving home.
“Tyler, you keep closing your eyes. Pull over and give me the keys. I’ll get us back. Let’s get some coffee.”
I was reluctant, because my mom had always told me not to let anyone else drive the car. I’m glad Melissa ended up driving, because I was putting myself, my friends, and everyone else on the road in danger by trying to drive tired. Melissa stopped at a drive-thru coffee shop, we refueled, and all 3 of us talked the whole way back, keeping everyone alert. I picked up the car the next day.
Until I started this job, I didn’t know that drowsy driving was such a big problem. According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2005 Sleep in America poll, 60% of adult drivers – around 168 million people – say they have driven a vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year, and more than one-third, (37% or 103 million people), have fallen asleep while driving.
I don’t know what would have happened if I had gone to that show alone. We’re taught all our lives not to drive after drinking alcohol, but I think we need more discussions on the dangers of drowsy driving. Our driver fatigue systems alert you to the first sign of drowsiness, so you can pull over before it becomes a problem. These systems install in minutes and save lives. I wish I had this technology in my car at age 16, and I will definitely put it in my car (If I ever get another one) at age 30. My (future) children will use a driver fatigue system.
