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Comment by cbs | Hacker News Reader

THIS is my beef. There is NO EXCUSE for putting others in danger on the road

The sky is not falling, it is not as bad as you think.

If there is no excuse to put others in any danger on the road, you should never, ever, take your own car on the road. Every time anyone drives, there is risk involved.

You're over reacting, chill out. You're not weighing risk rationally. A 12hr strait shot is by no means fun but its not something thats going to significantly deteriorate a driver's ability to the level your post would warrant. An experienced trucker is probably a better driver better than you in his sleep.

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Actually, you're the one that's being irrational. Driver's ED manuals recommends taking a break of 15 minutes every two hours, precisely because driving skills deteriorate quickly with fatigue. No amount of experience will make up for it.

e: http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmanual/chapter08-manual.htm#dr..., is it that hard to believe that people make mistakes when they're tired?

I never said it was perfect, just that it wasn't as bad as the gp thought. However, the 15 min every 2 hours is a recommendation, and over the top safety. The page really seems geard towards saying awake And no, its not hard for me to believe people make mistakes when tired, I know people who have totaled cars because they fell asleep. However, I assume (and know anecdotaly) that for someone for whom driving long distances is their job, they understand the reality of the situation, know how to recognize when their body can't take it and most importantly know how to plan their sleep schedule for driving.

You can always, always be more safe at driving. Up to and including the point of advocating for the end of motor vehicle use altogether. Everything about driving is dangerous, my point is was just that the situation described wasn't as brick-shittingly more risky as the GP's tone seemed to imply.

None of it is over the top, and none of it recommends to stay awake (only says to take caffeine if needed), you're just not seeing the picture because you want to believe that truck drivers are better drivers than anyone else because they do this for a living. It's a fallacy, of course. They're not immune to fatigue because they get paid to drive. They're reflexes and judgement are impaired as they would for you or me.

It's as dangerous as it sounds, if it was me who didn't get a whole night's sleep, had to drive a long distance on a deadline (no time for breaks), was sedentary, and had to drive through long and boring rural roads, you'd tell me to get the hell off the road before I kill someone.

I understand someone has to drive trucks to get my food to the supermarket, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the obvious risks, and reasons why the current system is a bad idea. I think driverless trucks would be the best solution.

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