The few times I've taken longer drives with AP when tired I find that I actually stay alert longer than if I was actively doing all of the driving (like in my ICE). I always thought this was due to being able to conserve what attention and mental energy I had left, using AP is less tiring than constantly monitoring all of the things that I need to when not using AP. Maybe I'll find this changes after taking more long trips with AP?
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Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
This is what I do.
Try to plan your longer trips to where you don't have any critical need to be there within a tight deadline. Then just pull off at an exit or rest stop if you get sleepy, take a short nap, then continue on your way. I've done it many times, and not once was the stop pre-planned.
dgpcolorado
high altitude member
I learned this lesson long ago and have done that many times. In recent years my solution for long drives is to listen to audio books. If I'm engaged in a good book I tend to keep alert. But if even that doesn't work, a nap of fifteen minutes or so makes an amazing difference.
Pinarello
Member
When using AP I find that I am more awake and fresh than when I'm not using AP. I drive about 15,000 miles per year, but take the train to Chicago from the suburbs for work. On the rare occasion when I drive, it's a 90+ minute drive in heavy traffic. AP is amazing in bad traffic and really helps keep the stress level down. Never been in the situation where I was lulled to sleep because of using AP.
If I get drowsy I tune to Rush Limbaugh to keep me awake. Endless mindless silly humor does that to me.
Drivers fall asleep behind the wheel: fact of life. In a non-AP car, falling asleep has four outcomes:
As to the question of whether you are more predisposed to fall asleep with AP because you are less mentally engaged--dunno. I have never been a huge fan of AP for that reason, but I have not seen any empirical data either way.
- Wake up again with no harm
- Drift into a neighboring lane and perhaps cause an accident
- Drift into opposing traffic and perhaps cause an accident
- Hit slower moving traffic in front of you
As to the question of whether you are more predisposed to fall asleep with AP because you are less mentally engaged--dunno. I have never been a huge fan of AP for that reason, but I have not seen any empirical data either way.
I seem to recall that there was a university study (done a *very* long time ago) about "the stress of command." The topic was more focused on how certain kinds of stresses experienced by those in command would increase blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, nervousness, and so on. Think of playing the squad leader in a violent or super-exciting video game. The biometrics were markedly different between the stress of command with physical activity and without physical activity. The couch potato commanders would be notably more drained from the experience.
So it is no surprise to me to find out that driving, which can be considered a source of stress without exercise, can lull the driver to sleep shortly after the task of driving the vehicle is transferred to the Autopilot.
-- Ardie
I don't think the study included warm cocoa.
So it is no surprise to me to find out that driving, which can be considered a source of stress without exercise, can lull the driver to sleep shortly after the task of driving the vehicle is transferred to the Autopilot.
-- Ardie
I don't think the study included warm cocoa.
I'm rather sure that we've all shared the highway with many sleepy, and otherwise inattentive drivers. Who among us hasn't observed cars that seem to have problems staying in their lanes.
To answer your question about which is safer: The right answer is, we don't yet know. Good data regarding Autopilot statistics has not been made public. (And doing so, even with positive data, might actually be a negative given the nature of our legal system.)
Personally I look forward to getting thru this transition and into good full-autonomous smart vehicles so that if I'm sleepy I can sleep, and if you're sleepy, the car knows evasive maneuvers when needed.
To answer your question about which is safer: The right answer is, we don't yet know. Good data regarding Autopilot statistics has not been made public. (And doing so, even with positive data, might actually be a negative given the nature of our legal system.)
Personally I look forward to getting thru this transition and into good full-autonomous smart vehicles so that if I'm sleepy I can sleep, and if you're sleepy, the car knows evasive maneuvers when needed.
EVie'sDad
Member
Drowsy sleeping, even with AP is still almost as dangerous as drunk driving and or distracted driving and should be avoided as much as possible. We want to help save lives, not endanger more of them.
#2 and #3 may be reduced, but not eliminated completely because Tesla's AutoSteering tracks left and right lanes and traffic in front of it. Losing sight of one, both or all three may still result in the vehicle losing its way and not knowing how to handle the oncoming roadway may in fact cause the vehicle to hunt for a lane, swerving unknowingly into adjacent or oncoming traffic. I do agree it is far better than not have AP, but I also take additional measures to make sure I am not found in such a predicament, by making the environment a little less than ideal for myself (cool air in my face, not too warm, too full or not too tired). Listening to comedy channels on XM seem to pass the time well and talk radio helps too when AP is used in more mundane situations such as stop traffic and go or long drives. But yes, I too feel more well rested after driving up to 11-13 hours in one day, but now prefer to set my stopping points after periods between 8 and 10 hours, at my better halve's behest, which gives me more chances to learn about and enjoy destination chargers as well.
It really is about the journey as much as it is about the destination, lets all get there in one piece safely and well rested.
Pretty much any time I've had a microsleep or started to nod-off (driving or otherwise) it was wholly involuntary.
Sure I might have been self-aware enough to realize I was drowsy and be fighting it, but the nod-off typically wins.
That being said, even if utilizing AP increased the likelihood of me nodding off, there is still a decent chance that I would nod-off without it. Having AP enabled would increase the likelihood of me remaining in my lane and traveling at a "Safe" speed. Sure if the car loses confidence and needs me to take over then a problem could arise, but I almost guarantee that any AP-hypothetical problem would occur some amount of time further down the road than if it was just me piloting the car.
Rumble strips are designed to wake up folks that are nodding off. They have some ridiculous stats associated with them for projected lives saved. Pretty awesome. With AP enabled, it's unlikely that the car will go over rumble strips designed to wake you. That is probably why the nag goes from silent, to muting music with a paired chime, to a much louder angrier chime (and then to hazard lights with slowly stopping the car).
I gotta say that regardless of the chances of me falling asleep in AP vs none, I like the tree of probabilities *with* AP more. For myself, the muting of music and chime would be enough to snap me back from dreamland, but if it wasn't then the rumble strips probably wouldn't rouse me either.
I use AP more for boring drives than anything else, mostly stop and go traffic. Haven't nearly fallen asleep in the Tesla yet... I think it's just too much fun to drive!
Sure I might have been self-aware enough to realize I was drowsy and be fighting it, but the nod-off typically wins.
That being said, even if utilizing AP increased the likelihood of me nodding off, there is still a decent chance that I would nod-off without it. Having AP enabled would increase the likelihood of me remaining in my lane and traveling at a "Safe" speed. Sure if the car loses confidence and needs me to take over then a problem could arise, but I almost guarantee that any AP-hypothetical problem would occur some amount of time further down the road than if it was just me piloting the car.
Rumble strips are designed to wake up folks that are nodding off. They have some ridiculous stats associated with them for projected lives saved. Pretty awesome. With AP enabled, it's unlikely that the car will go over rumble strips designed to wake you. That is probably why the nag goes from silent, to muting music with a paired chime, to a much louder angrier chime (and then to hazard lights with slowly stopping the car).
I gotta say that regardless of the chances of me falling asleep in AP vs none, I like the tree of probabilities *with* AP more. For myself, the muting of music and chime would be enough to snap me back from dreamland, but if it wasn't then the rumble strips probably wouldn't rouse me either.
I use AP more for boring drives than anything else, mostly stop and go traffic. Haven't nearly fallen asleep in the Tesla yet... I think it's just too much fun to drive!
I fell asleep like blanche but woke up approaching the concrete enforcement of a gutter on a rainy day in my SAAB 9-3. As I accelerated the notorious Viggen torque steer kicked in addition to the right tire biting the pavement, making me head straight across the lanes, i could see the striations from the dynamited rock wall when NFS Porsche Unleashed playing reflexes kicked in and made me turn the wheel all the way to the right while engaging the handbrake. As i was spinning all I could see was white before I hit and LOCd. Trooper said if it wasn't for the SAAB I would have been dead, the car did not have one window standing and the sheet metal from my door was stripped off to reveal steel bars about 5" in diameter.
Feel drowsy? Pull over ASAP, lock doors and sleep. Also, try not to let yourself get fat, fat people hypoventilate when seated as the diaphragm is pushed upwards and fall asleep a lot more on highways.
Feel drowsy? Pull over ASAP, lock doors and sleep. Also, try not to let yourself get fat, fat people hypoventilate when seated as the diaphragm is pushed upwards and fall asleep a lot more on highways.
cgiGuy
Active Member
Mark Z
Active Member
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Assuming driving home in fighting-sleep mode, but not so tired that likely to fall dead-asleep, when Tesla detects no-hands-on-wheel and starts alerting, surely the increasing volume Ding-Dong is going to wake the driver up? - i.e. long before it came to the point of hazard-flashers and parked on the road
Or is there a more likely outcome?
Or is there a more likely outcome?
Mario Kadastik
Active Member
A bit over a year ago I was giving regular lectures in another town. Morning drive there (2-2.5h), lectures (4-5h), drive back (2-2.5h). And so once a week. It was winter time so here in the north it meant that both commutes happened in the dark.
One of the times I did nod off from being tired after a full day and right around half-way through I woke suddenly finding myself half of the car in the oncoming lane with a truck coming towards me. Quick reflexes saved me and I had enough adrenaline in my blood after that that the rest of the trip went without me feeling any drowsiness, but this was the day I decided to upgrade my non AP Tesla to an AP Tesla and I trust the AP implicitly to keep me safe if such a situation reoccurred...
One of the times I did nod off from being tired after a full day and right around half-way through I woke suddenly finding myself half of the car in the oncoming lane with a truck coming towards me. Quick reflexes saved me and I had enough adrenaline in my blood after that that the rest of the trip went without me feeling any drowsiness, but this was the day I decided to upgrade my non AP Tesla to an AP Tesla and I trust the AP implicitly to keep me safe if such a situation reoccurred...
JohnSnowNW
Active Member
I have nodded off before driving a "conventional" vehicle, though it was only for a few seconds and was enough of a scare that I decided to pull over for a bit.
In a similar situation with AP I would consider it safer, but at the same time perhaps I wouldn't have decided to pull over...and fallen asleep for a time. I think once AP is fully vetted falling asleep at the wheel won't be much of an issue safety-wise, but I think it may give people a false sense of security that they didn't have pre-AP. I mean, people shouldn't be sleeping at the wheel at APs current level.
In a similar situation with AP I would consider it safer, but at the same time perhaps I wouldn't have decided to pull over...and fallen asleep for a time. I think once AP is fully vetted falling asleep at the wheel won't be much of an issue safety-wise, but I think it may give people a false sense of security that they didn't have pre-AP. I mean, people shouldn't be sleeping at the wheel at APs current level.
I would NEVER trust AP in undivided roads with oncoming traffic. I have driven 7K of the last 8K miles in AP and all of them on well marked divided highways.
It is simply not ready driving with vehicles coming against your direction on your adjacent lane.
A large proportion of the adult American population is sleep deprived. Some have sleep apnea, others have narcolepsy, some work long or off hours, others just spend to much time surfing the web at night. Nevertheless, sleep deprived. As such, when stimuli are removed (like the act of driving the car rather than riding in the car) these folks tend to fall asleep, no matter what is going on around them.
There's nothing magical about our cars or Autopilot putting us to sleep.
There's nothing magical about our cars or Autopilot putting us to sleep.
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