Miley Cyrus tour bus overturns in Va., killing 1

AP on Yahoo ^ | 11/20/09 | Dena Potter - ap

[spectre]

"Hubby was asleep and I was very sleepy. I turned on the radio for noise...no good. I rolled down the window for fresh air, but my eyes were practically crossing from trying to keep them open.

I was alone in the car driving back from the airport in the dark early am when that happened to me. I was on the Freeway going 70 mph and literally did everything I could to stay awake.

I couldn't pull off on the isolated freeway...Thank God I made it home. I was terrified.

sw

[Rebelbase]

Dinwiddie is the place where Sheridan forced Pickett out of position and was the opening battle for the end of the siege of Richmond which fell a few days later.

Not that this relates to Mily Cyrus in any way, just a bit of useless trivia.

[Niuhuru]

What about slugging Mountain Dew? I had a glass of that once and I didn’t sleep for half the night. Nearly made me crazy.

[Crolis]

True. Straight, featureless road. No traffic, that low humming of the tires on the pavement, early morning (6-7am). Passenger sleeping next to you.

I tried everything. Music, rolling down the windows, even eating snacks. It happened so fast.

To this day I am extra cautious when it comes to long drives. I will trade endurance for safety and call it quits much earlier now.

On a related note, the new Mercedes E-class has a feature where the car will sense your driving style and develop a baseline. If you start to drift in your lane, or deviate from that when you get tired, the car will warn you and light up a little icon on the dash (it’s a coffee cup) suggesting you pull over and get some rest/refreshment.

[LucyJo]

I know what you mean. I had even tried slapping my face.
But, seeing the vehicle heading for the ditch surely got my attention.

[allmendream]

Passenger sleeping next to you is ASKING for it.

Something about someone else asleep just relaxes you and makes you sleepy. Like how a yawn is contagious.

Wake them up and say “If the thought of me falling asleep behind the wheel doesn't keep you awake, why should it keep me awake?”

Let them ponder that one awhile.

[The Comedian]

But Michael Jackson is still dead, right?

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[LucyJo]

Same here. Those extra few miles can be made up, if need be, after I’ve rested.

That is a good feature on the Mercedes E; but, I knew long before it happened that I needed to rest. I was just determined to make it into Amarillo before I did. Thankfully, I’m not quite so stubborn (ignorant) anymore when it comes to taking safety precautions.

[libstripper]

If it works for you. For a drive I shouldn’t take, I’ll slug seveal NoDoz down with a Mountain Dew.

I have another funny sailing story from my days in Milwaukee. On the way back from northern Lake Michigan one summer I found I had to leave my boat for a week in
Sheboygan, about 50 miles north of Milwaukee. The next weekend I took the bus up to Sheboygan, had dinner at the Sheboygan Yacht Club, and decided to take my boat down to Milwaukee that night. To stay awake I took three NoDoz. Then I set out down the Sheboyban River only to discover that an essenmtial drawbridge was closed, blocking me from getting out onto the lake. I returned to the YC and hopelessly tried to get even a little sleep that night before 0600 the next morning when the bridge would open. BUMMER!!

[Corin Stormhands]

You know, I get your point.

But there are still places on I-85 where the driver could have stopped. Plus, since this was a tour bus, it’s likely they were driving to reach another event.