{"id":7483,"date":"2026-04-09T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/?p=7483"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:41:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:41:01","slug":"feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeling sleepy? How to stay alert behind the wheel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many people enjoy an exciting road trip and are eager to arrive at their destination. After a fun-filled weekend, the dreaded long drive home may seem less than thrilling. Smart drivers know that staying refreshed behind the wheel is vital to their safety and the well-being of others on the road. If you are feeling especially tired, it\u2019s wise to postpone your trip to a later time. But if you must take a drive while drowsy, here is how to stay alert behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

1. TAKE A POWER NAP BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the American Automobile Association<\/a> (AAA), approximately one in every six deadly traffic accidents is caused by drowsy driving.1 The body has its way of letting us know when we are sleep-deprived. If you\u2019re grouchy and experiencing symptoms like watery eyes, yawning and excess blinking, you\u2019re probably not in the best state of mind to begin a long journey behind the wheel. If you\u2019re feeling worn out before you even start your drive, consider engaging in 20 to 30 minutes of shut eye first. After your power nap, give yourself another 15 minutes or so to fully wake up before hitting the road.<\/p>\n

\"iStock_000025096068_Full\"<\/p>\n

2. HEY BARISTA, MAKE THAT VANILLA LATTE A TRIPLE, PLEASE<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Caffeine is your best friend when you\u2019re feeling sluggish but need to drive. Treat yourself to an extra espresso shot in your cappuccino or make your typical drip coffee a larger size than normal. The effects of caffeine work for a couple of hours before the infamous \u201ccrash\u201d hits, so don\u2019t be afraid to get a refill mid-way through your trip when you start to feel less energetic.<\/p>\n

3. TRAVEL IN PAIRS OR PACKS ON LONG ROAD TRIPS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For more reasons than one, traveling with a partner is a smart move. Take turns driving and switch off every 1 to 2 hours to give yourself a break. You can use your time off to nap, catch up on some reading, browse your newsfeed, or talk to one other. If you\u2019re feeling even the least bit sleepy, take advantage of the extra set of hands behind the wheel and get some rest. You\u2019ll thank yourself for it when it\u2019s your turn to drive.<\/p>\n

4. AVOID DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME<\/strong>
Late-night driving is ill advised for several reasons. According to the National Sleep Foundation, your body naturally becomes the sleepiest between midnight and 6 a.m. because that\u2019s when you are used to sleeping. Keep in mind that while you may feel alert at this time, other drivers on the road may be extremely tired, which is why it\u2019s best to drive at statistically safer times whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n

Who is Answer Financial?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As one of the nation\u2019s largest and most reputable auto & home insurance agencies,\u00a0Answer Financial<\/a>\u00a0has insured nearly 5 million homes and vehicles. We work with more than 30, top-rated carriers to save our customers an average of $677 a year on insurance.*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer Financial can help you compare, buy and often save the smart way on insurance<\/a>. So before you shop, remember to rely on our insurance experts to find you the right insurance plan for your needs and budget. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many people enjoy an exciting road trip and are eager to arrive at their destination. After a fun-filled weekend, the dreaded long drive home may seem less than thrilling. Smart drivers know that staying refreshed behind the wheel is vital to their safety and the well-being of others on the road. If you are feeling…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101013,"featured_media":7584,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[422],"tags":[119,381],"class_list":["post-7483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-auto","tag-auto-insurance-2","tag-distracted-driving"],"ic_custom":{"author_name":"Laura Fuduli","medium_thumbnail":"\"driver","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/author\/laura-fuduli\/"},"yoast_head":"\r\nHow to Stay Alert Behind the Wheel: Tips to avoid drowsy driving<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you must drive while drowsy, here are some tips how to stay alert behind the wheel and avoid getting into an accident that could harm you or others.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Stay Alert Behind the Wheel: Tips to avoid drowsy driving\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you must drive while drowsy, here are some tips how to stay alert behind the wheel and avoid getting into an accident that could harm you or others.\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Answer Financial\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AnswerFinancial\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T17:40:00+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-09T17:41:01+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/v2iStock_000035408512_XXXLarge.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"756\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"504\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Fuduli\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@answerfinancial\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@answerfinancial\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Fuduli\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Stay Alert Behind the Wheel: Tips to avoid drowsy driving","description":"If you must drive while drowsy, here are some tips how to stay alert behind the wheel and avoid getting into an accident that could harm you or others.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Stay Alert Behind the Wheel: Tips to avoid drowsy driving","og_description":"If you must drive while drowsy, here are some tips how to stay alert behind the wheel and avoid getting into an accident that could harm you or others.","og_url":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/","og_site_name":"Answer Financial","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AnswerFinancial\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-09T17:40:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-09T17:41:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":756,"height":504,"url":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/v2iStock_000035408512_XXXLarge.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Laura Fuduli","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@answerfinancial","twitter_site":"@answerfinancial","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Laura Fuduli","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/feeling-sleepy-how-to-stay-alert-behind-the-wheel-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Laura Fuduli","@id":"https:\/\/blog.answerfinancial.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3befdd4500f3132a73f49ea3803eabf7"},"headline":"Feeling sleepy? 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