First time driving thru the night up to Cape Cod. What to expect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dangerous.

I know a family who had a fatal car accident when one parent fell asleep at the wheel.

Just leave at 5am.

No one asked for your opinion. Do you any useful information for the actual question asked? Be gone Janet

Pp is right though, it is really dangerous. My parents had friends who lost their kid because he fell asleep at the wheel. When I got my license they told me to stop driving if I got sleepy driving. I’ve done a ton of long-distance driving in my life, and I’ll pull over and cat nap if I have to.

First assume that they have more common sense than you do (“my parents told me”) and that they don’t want to die. So then how would it be dangerous because now they’re not driving when they are sleepy. Or they’re pulling over and cat napping when needed?

Unless they are regularly night shift workers, it's not possible to drive through the night and not drive when sleepy.

This is dangerous and foolhardy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dangerous.

I know a family who had a fatal car accident when one parent fell asleep at the wheel.

Just leave at 5am.

No one asked for your opinion. Do you any useful information for the actual question asked? Be gone Janet

Pp is right though, it is really dangerous. My parents had friends who lost their kid because he fell asleep at the wheel. When I got my license they told me to stop driving if I got sleepy driving. I’ve done a ton of long-distance driving in my life, and I’ll pull over and cat nap if I have to.

First assume that they have more common sense than you do (“my parents told me”) and that they don’t want to die. So then how would it be dangerous because now they’re not driving when they are sleepy. Or they’re pulling over and cat napping when needed?

DP

I know a family that a lost someone because the driver fell asleep at the wheel. They regret driving overnight “so the kids could sleep” and they’d avoid traffic.

Most humans cannot work a long day and then stay up all night driving. Even if you don’t wreck your car, there will be police and other drivers on the lookout for drivers who are weaving, speeding, etc. You very well could be pulled over (noting drowsy driving causes the same affects as drunk driving—google it; and NJ implemented special laws against drowsy driving precisely due to the volume of related accidents on the turnpike).

You are better off getting some sleep and leaving at 5am. There’s no meaningful argument against that fact…which begs the question: why are you itching to start a long drive at 1am???

[Anonymous]

DH used to work night shifts for a few nights before we went in any trip. We left ~9PM and drove through the night. We would make sure two of us were up if he got tired. I would take over ~ 4 am.

Only inconvenience is that food places and rest stops are closed. There are usually 24 hour gas stations along the way but start looking early if you need gas/bathroom/food.
We usually brought a small ice chest/thermos for coffees and beverages and a bag of snacks.
I have hiking disposable urinals for emergencies (they are 10 years old so obviously not typically needed).

Just be sure to pull over when you start feeling sleepy or wake up the other adult traveling with you. And don’t be afraid to pull over somewhere if necessary.

[Anonymous]

I've done that drive regularly but never overnight. I can do the drive by myself with one stop - usually in CT for gas and bathroom. I pack snacks/meal/drinks. That's if there is no major traffic. I did it in May and it was about 8.5-9 hours (we are about 45 minutes past the bridge, your destination may be closer). You might want to switch drivers more often though.

I did overnight drives in my 20s and I can't sleep when someone else is driving because I fear they will fall asleep. So for me the trick would be for both drivers to stay awake and talk to each other to make sure the driver is alert.

If it were me I'd leave at 4 am to at least get a few hours of sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So dangerous.

I know a family who had a fatal car accident when one parent fell asleep at the wheel.

Just leave at 5am.

No one asked for your opinion. Do you any useful information for the actual question asked? Be gone Janet

Pp is right though, it is really dangerous. My parents had friends who lost their kid because he fell asleep at the wheel. When I got my license they told me to stop driving if I got sleepy driving. I’ve done a ton of long-distance driving in my life, and I’ll pull over and cat nap if I have to.

First assume that they have more common sense than you do (“my parents told me”) and that they don’t want to die. So then how would it be dangerous because now they’re not driving when they are sleepy. Or they’re pulling over and cat napping when needed?

None of the 800 people who die every year from falling asleep at the wheel wanted to die. They thought they could stay awake and they were wrong.

[Anonymous]

ICYMI: you can’t just pull over anywhere and sleep. First, it’s dangerous. Moreover, chances are you will be approached by law enforcement.

[Anonymous]

It’s dangerous. The drunk drivers are all out, we saw two cars driving the wrong way down the Merrit Parkway.

[Anonymous]

DCUM you never fail to derail a thread with your moral superiority and anecdotes.

[Anonymous]

I know a family that prefers to drive over night. The kids sleep. The drive is less congested. The dad sleeps as soon as they get there on the beach or whatever.

[Anonymous]

I would not do it unless one of you already works a night shift and is used to being awake at 12am-6am. I would wait until 4-5am at least and go then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not do it unless one of you already works a night shift and is used to being awake at 12am-6am. I would wait until 4-5am at least and go then.

I think this is a good point. If you have some experience being awake at these times, I think your plan is OK. In fact, I'm shocked at how many people are telling you it's unsafe. I would think you will benefit from having hardly any traffic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not do it unless one of you already works a night shift and is used to being awake at 12am-6am. I would wait until 4-5am at least and go then.

+1. One other thing to keep an eye out for driving at night is nighttime road work. A few years ago I did the reverse- drove overnight from the Cape back from DC- and the lane closures in CT in paritcular were insane.

[Anonymous]

Look at it this way. You’re going to arrive a day later whether you’re leaving at 12/1AM or 4/5AM. The question is, will you have a bed waiting at your destination at 8AM or are you going to have to wait around to check in to a hotel or rental? Once you arrive, the rest of the morning is going to be a wash. You and spouse will be exhausted, and your kids will either be exhausted or well rested from sleeping through the trip and ready to hit the beach/pool. Are they old enough to do that unsupervised? Or are you going to need an alert parent?

Driving through the night isn’t necessarily salvaging a vacation day, which is what your scenario sounds like. If you’re vacationing with family who have a room ready for you and can watch the kids while you catch up on sleep (or if you have self sufficient teens) it might work fine. But consider what starting your vacation at 8AM with no sleep will look like before committing to the idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:starting to drive at 1am when will you sleep?

When we did this, my wife would sleep from 5pm to 1am, then wake up and drive. I'd try to nap in the car, and then take over when the sun came up.

Seems like a remarkably unpleasant way to start a "relaxing" getaway.

[Anonymous]

It’s not just your own fatigue that you have to worry about. 2-3am is peak stupid behavior time for other drivers. Lots of wrong-way driving and crashes at that time of day.