JAMES L. JACKSON
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Savannah, Georgia

Are you ready to rumble? In the old days, that meant getting into a street fight. How about today? Are you ready for the rumble strip on the side of the highway? Are you ready for that kind of street fight?

It was late on the Friday afternoon of what had been a long, stressful week, and I was facing a 5½-hour drive to get home. I’d just spent five weeks on a temporary duty assignment and was eager to see my family. Tired as I was, I’d made the trip before and was willing to put myself through the paces once more to see my wife and daughter.

The trip started off without a hitch. I’d already packed, completed my Travel Risk Planning System report and was ready to go. (I may have been less than honest about resting six to eight hours between working and driving.) All I could think of that afternoon was spending precious moments with my family. I missed them so much and wanted to create positive memories with my daughter. That alone was incentive enough to get there as soon as possible. I didn’t consider the consequences of driving fatigued. I never thought how selfish I was to put myself and others in danger on the road. Research shows that 24 hours of sleep deprivation impairs someone as if they had a blood alcohol concentration of .08. That’ll get you arrested for driving drunk in most states.

I was traveling down a four-lane highway that night in the rural South. I stopped to get a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant and then got back on the road. I regretted that move but, more importantly, I regretted feeling so fatigued when I was only halfway home. I tried moving my head from side to side to fight the drowsiness. I then tried looking at the mile marker signs, near and far, until they went by in a blur. I remember counting mile markers 15, 16 and 20. I saw mile marker 26 and then it happened — I fell asleep only to be shocked back into alertness by the unmistakable roaring of the rumble strip as I drifted off the right shoulder.

That snapped me back into reality and I slowed down and pulled off at the nearest exit and got three hours of sleep. When I started my journey again, I was thankful all I’d received was a scare, not a trip to the emergency room. When the reality of what happened sunk in, I realized I could’ve broken my wife’s and daughter’s hearts. I also could’ve hit another motorist and brought suffering to them or their family. I’ve often wondered since then how many people chance it every day by driving mentally fatigued. I think of families being shattered by a call telling them a loved one is dead due to their own negligence or another driver’s.

Soldiers go through a lot and endure many difficulties. However, the most consistently preventable tragedy that takes Soldiers’ lives doesn’t happen in combat, it happens on the highways at home. And it’s not just Soldiers. Army Civilians are also being lost, and replacing their skillsets takes time and costs money. In addition, losing them also decreases unit readiness and cohesiveness and can affect morale. While drugs and alcohol play a major role in many of these tragedies, so does fatigue.

Getting ready to travel? Don’t push yourself to your physical and mental limits just because you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Time saved isn’t worth a life lost. Before heading out, ask yourself if you’re alert, awake and ready to roll. And if you’re not — are you ready to rumble?

FYI

The National Safety Council offers the following suggestions to keep you alert and alive on the highway:

Recognize the symptoms of fatigue
 

• Eyes closing or going out of focus


• Persistent yawning


• Irritability, restlessness and impatience


• Wandering or disconnected thoughts


• Inability to remember driving the last few miles


• Drifting between lanes or onto shoulder


• Abnormal speed, tailgating, or failure to obey traffic signs


• Back tension, burning eyes, shallow breathing or inattentiveness

Safety tips
 

• Maintain a regular sleep schedule that allows adequate rest.


• When the signs of fatigue begin to show, get off the road. Take a short nap in a well-lit area. Do not simply stop on the side of the road.


• Avoid driving between midnight and 6 a.m.


• When planning long trips:


• o Share driving responsibilities with a companion.
  o Begin the trip early in the day.
  o Keep the temperature cool in the car.
  o Stop every 100 miles or two hours to get out of the car and walk around; exercise helps to combat fatigue.
  o Stop for light meals and snacks.
  o Drive with your head up, shoulders back and legs flexed at about a 45-degree angle.