I mean no disrespect to the mods, so try not to make it seem as if I did, thanks.
And if someone could please point me to these rules I would appreciate it. I had a hard time finding where it says that.
So is that 600 miles a day for one, or two people? Kind of changes things when its a duo no? And sleeping in a car is subjective, depending on age, body size/height...etc. I mean the op stated him and his girlfriend are traveling together. If my math is right, the max would be 1200 miles...
Truckers usually drive in tandem. They are still NOT allowed to be more than 10 hours, or 600 miles, behind the wheel. When they are not driving, they are mandated, by law, to be in the back of the cab in the sleeper berth. If they sit in the passenger seat, it is counted AS DRIVING. That is the law, their logs are often checked completely, and they can lose both their job and their commercial license if they are found to be fudging on the logs. The policy on RTA is to use the truckers' mandates as what is sensible for us.
Have we all broken this rule of thumb? Absolutely. Therefore, when we recommend 600 miles as a maximum, it is because each of the regulars has made errors in judgement and have learned from their mistakes. My husband and I have tried a lot of things over the years, mostly before his short career as a semi-truck driver, which included driving 750 miles in one day and then set up campsite, driving at night and trying to sleep during the day (only works if your body clocks are used to that because you're a night worker), sleeping in the car (oh, my creakin' neck!), and more. I've been part of a 4-student car driving 1500 miles straight through, and from that experience, that's where I know that sleeping while somebody else is driving, does not afford you proper rest. When it was my turn to drive, I was still very tired, especially when I had to drive at night.
Donna
There is no argument.
600 miles is the max professional drivers are permitted by law, for safety reasons.
You do not sleep sitting up in a car as a passenger. It is almost as tiring as driving. You may nap or doze off, but that is not the proper rest one needs to be refreshed and alert for hours on end to hurtle tons of metal down the road at highway speed. It is inanely irresponsible and demonstrates a disregard for road safety.
It is also the reason why thousands are killed on the road each year. Fatigue being one of the prime causes.
Lifey
A couple common myths
I don't think you've been disrespectful, but I do think you've fallen into a couple of very very dangerous myths.
Originally Posted by jwilx
Long distance driving is absolutely not a 1+1=2 situation. Just because 1 person can safely drive 600 miles does not at all mean that 2 drivers can then safely drive 1200 - not even close. As others have mentioned, simply sitting in a car is fatiguing. Also, having a second person napping in the passenger seat, means there is no second set of eyes on the driver, and it makes it much more likely that the driver starts nodding off as well.I mean the op stated him and his girlfriend are traveling together. If my math is right, the max would be 1200 miles..
And you are right that it isn't exactly the same for every person, and an extra driver might help you get a few more miles down the road, but 600 miles is certainly the benchmark. It's the law for professional drivers in the US (and in other countries, even that is considered too far), and a good rule of thumb. If you're trying to drive 1000 miles, you're way beyond that rule of thumb, and if you're trying to get back in the car again to do more driving, after just 4 hours of napping in the car, you're simply doing more than any human can safely do.
When we talk about being so fatigued that you are as dangerous as a drunk driver, it has nothing to do with "feeling drunk." It has everything to do with reaction times. When you've been behind of the wheel for more than about 10 hours, your reaction times dull - and become very similar to those of someone who is intoxicated. The statistics for crashes - including fatal crashes - caused by fatigued driving are also very similar to those of drunk drivers.But thats me assuming people are smart enough to not drive so tired they feel drunk...
It's really just science, and as much as you can tell yourself that you are still fine, you can very much be a danger. The problem is that when you're too tired to be a safe driver - you have to rely on that same fatigued brain to tell you that you've gone too far. By the time you "feel tired" and start actually drifting off, you've already gone way too far.
We certainly can't force you to change your behavior, but that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. A drunk typically gets behind the wheel 100 or more times before they are caught or get into a crash - it doesn't mean the first 99 times were safe. Whether your driving is impared by drugs, alcohol, or fatigue, eventually, it will catch up with you - and sometimes other people will be in your way when it does.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
Refer to post #17, there's a link in there for a "speed run". This requires 3 drivers, not just 2.
If you've ever covered 650 miles or more in a single day, you were on what we consider to be a "speed run."
There are no 'hard and fast rules', as certain factors make a difference, but humans can only stay fully alert for a certain amount of time before fatigue sets in and our main aim here is to help members have a safe and enjoyable journey and offer sound advice. [Its why we dont work for 20 hours a day for 2 days and have the rest of the week off.] The original poster has mentioned in the first post that they have never been on a road trip before and they are asking for help with their planning, so they only have what they are told to go by. So no, it is not an over reaction to your reply, it is informing them that by no means is travelling a 1000 miles in a single day safe or enjoyable. What they decide to do with all the info offered, is entirely up to them, but in this case no matter how experienced, it's something we still would not recommend.
I think we should leave it at that and let the planning thread get back on track.
There really is nothing to debate. Regardless of the statistics, its still all subjective. It varies from person to person. There are factors like age, body type, weight... etc. Since were mixing the ops scenario up with my one example, I will explain further, then leave it alone. I sleep 6-7 hours a night max as it is. Some people have no problem sleeping in a car every couple of nights. I am one of those people. Ive done it every year for the past 10 years putting 15000+ every Spring alone. I fold the back seats down (not sitting up..) and sleep on a foam pad very comfortably. If I get a great nights sleep, drive for 500 miles, then nap while the other is driving, then stop and sleep for 3-4 hours. That is totally fine for some people, if not most. I understand that its the popular opinion to parrot whenever someone mentions driving for extended periods or sleeping in the car, but like I stated in the first place, if its done right it isnt that bad. Just dont sit up, and dont drive if your actions mimic those of a drunk person (aka feeling drunk...)
That is all from me on this. No disrespect at all. Go ahead and delete all of my comments in this thread and clean it up. I didnt mean to derail. Sorry op :/
Another flaw.
Drunk drivers always seem to deny that they are impaired (a.k.a. feeling drunk) Same with fatigued drivers, they have no idea they are beyond adequate reflexes (a.k.a. safe driving).
Lifey
You are right, there is nothing to debate - the problem is that you're trying to create a debate by ignoring the science and saying it is all subjective.
Lifey is 100% correct. You can come up with excuses for why you have special talents, and you can do what research has shown that no one can possibly do safely, but the fact is, just like someone who can find a way to excuse their drunk driving, you are putting your life, and the lives of everyone else in the road in danger in the process.
As we've said, We can't stop you, but we certainly aren't going to let you tell others that it is ok. Any further discussion on the issue will be deleted.
Last edited by Midwest Michael; 05-31-2015 at 11:07 AM.
So to get back on topic, I asked my girlfriend about Couchsurfing and she said "absolutely not! I rather take my chances with the wildlife in the woods" - and believe me, she has never been camping a day in her life. So that basically leaves couchsurfing out.
In terms of cheap motels, I assume the best strategy is not always to just google motels in an area and call right? I've been having some terrible luck with this method finding most places charge between $55-$70 per night. Ultimately, it seems like we may need to find a way to camp out 4-5 nights during the trip.
The 600 mile driving limit most are talking about also puts a bit of a damper on our plans as it extends our nights from 11-12 to about 13-14. Again, with our limited budget, things seem rather difficult. I should also mention that we will be traveling on a 2002 V6 Camaro, a car with very little room to carry stuff, and definitely not a comfortable long term driver.
Any more tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all for all of the great input so far, I am taking it to heart and really learning from all of you.
Posting Permissions
Find latest started threads
Reply With Quote
