U.S. Department of Transportation Drowsy Driving Quiz

Liberty Fight

The federal government (U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adminstration – often referred to as ‘DOT’ and ‘FMCSA’) published this interesting drowsy-driving quiz.

I took an interest in this matter several years ago after two insane, rogue cops forced me to wake up out of the sleeper berth of a commercial vehicle and show them my ID for absolutely no reason, while I was on my federally-mandated ten-hour sleep time. At the time, I had just become a truck driver, but I knew enough that cops weren’t supposed to do this.  

You probably don’t know this, but the feds conduct very expensive ‘Commercial driver sleep studies’ that cost as much as five million dollars per pop. Yes, they supposedly take this issue very seriously, and rightly so.

It is indeed very important for commercial truck drivers to get their required proper sleep. When you’re driving an 80,000 lb. vehicle that’s nearly 70 feet long and 14 feet tall on icy roads, or even on sunny dry roads for that matter, it’s imperative that you are alert, rested, and have gotten your proper sleep. Any idiot knows this.

So for these filthy Texas troopers to wake people up illegally ‘just because they can, because ‘I have the badge and the gun,’ as the trooper told me, is totally illegal, insane and criminal. Not to mention a great danger to the driver and to the public at large.

Did you know that it’s not just Texas Troopers doing this, but it’s cops across the country, as well as ‘border patrol cops’ inside the U.S. who aren’t even near the border. This is very bad policy. It’s reckless and puts lives at risk.

Since starting my website DontWakeMeUp.org several years ago, I’ve gotten e-mails from truckers across the country who tell me that rogue cops have woken them up illegally too! Who’s going to stop these bastards from violating people’s rights and endangering the public!?

In my case, I filed both state and federal complaints with the governing law enforcement agencies after the incident occurred. Both officers were recorded and the Texas Department of Public Safety admitted wrongdoing in writing on behalf of the two officers only one month after an internal affairs complaint was filed against the officers in November 2010.

The admission letter, dated December 20, 2010 and signed by Captain Kenneth Plunk of the Waco Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, stated that “corrective action was needed” against both officers and that “additional training has been taken.”

Even better, the agency was then forced to admit in federal court that “The passenger is under no obligation to comply with request” for ID.

I actually recorded both these idiots with my cellphone at the very moment they illegally demanded my ID. Here are TRANSCRIPTS of my original interactions with both of them on the side of that dark road at night.

If you’re interested, the audio/video of the original incident is in three short clips. First: Off Duty Driver refuses to show ID to Texas DOT inspector. The second is here: Texas State Trooper threatens arrest of driver for not showing ID. Part 3, the conclusion, is here: Civil Rights claim filed against Texas Trooper- Do not wake up sleeping trucker . Total length of all three clips combined is less than 5 minutes. (All three of these videos are embedded below, at the very bottom of this page.)

Here are some very expensive Federal Government Commercial driver sleep studies & Hours of Service Rules, paid for with millions of your tax dollars. Here is an extensive list of 4th Amendment protections, regarding law enforcement’s demand for ID

Here is the FMCSA drowsy driver quiz.

Be sure to check out my Fighting Traffic tickets section , the Filming Cops Archives , and my Red-Light Camera section, which the Wall Street Journal interviewed me about in 2010. Yes, the Wall Street Journal actually reads LibertyFight.com, I shit you not. LOL!! I still can’t believe who visits my site and reads my little soapbox. 🙂

Driver Safety Resources
Drowsy Driving QuizAre you at risk for falling asleep behind the wheel? Take this simple quiz and find out. Just circle ‘True’ or ‘False’ for each of the following statements, and check your answers:

1. There is no relationship between one’s sleep and work schedule and risk of being involved in a drowsy-driving crash. (True or False)FALSE. Studies have found a direct correlation between the numbers of hours a person works and their risk of being in a drowsy driving crash. People who work more than one job where their primary job involves an atypical schedule are twice as likely to be involved in a sleep-related crash when compared to people in non-sleep related crashes.

2. Working the night shift does not affect one’s chances of being involved in a sleep-related crash. (True or False)

FALSE. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, working the night shift increases a person’s risk of being involved in drowsy driving crash by nearly six times.

3. The largest at-risk group for sleep-related crashes is commercial drivers. (True or False)

FALSE. Sleep-related crashes are most common in young people, who tend to stay up late, sleep too little, and drive at night. One study found that in 55 percent of sleep-related crashes, drivers were age 25 years or younger and were predominantly men. Another study found almost one-third of commercial drivers have some degree of sleep apnea.

4. Overall, sleep-related crashes have certain characteristics that set them apart from other types of crashes. (True or False)

TRUE. Research has provided a good picture of the common characteristics of drowsy-driving crashes, which tend to occur at night or in mid-afternoon, involve a single vehicle running off the roadway, lack any evidence of braking, and involve a young male driving alone.

5. People with a sleep and breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea have about the same risk as the rest of the general population of being involved in a drowsy-driving crash. (True or False)

FALSE. Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person’s airway collapses many times to halt breathing until the person briefly awakens. The most common signs of sleep apnea are loud, irregular snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Studies indicate that persons with untreated sleep apnea have two to seven times more crashes than people without the disorder. Studies also show that once treated, most patients can be safe drivers once again.

6. Eating a big lunch tends to make everyone sleep. (True or False)FALSE. Things such as heavy meals, warm rooms, and long drives only unmask the presence of sleep deprivation or sleep debt; they do not cause sleepiness.

7. People can usually tell when they are going to fall asleep. (True or False)

FALSE. Sleep is not voluntary. If you’re tired, you can fall asleep and never know it. When you’re driving at 60 miles per hour and fall asleep for a few seconds (a microsleep), you can travel up to the length of a football field without any control of your vehicle.

8. Drivers in drowsy-driving crashes are more likely to report sleep problems. (True or False)TRUE. According to studies, drivers in fatigue-related crashes were more likely to report problems sleeping prior to a crash than drivers in other non-sleep crashes.

9. Rolling down a window or singing along with the radio while driving will help keep someone awake. (True or False)

FALSE. An open window or music has no lasting effect on a person’s ability to stay awake. In fact, they may mask the person’s lack of alertness further.

10. Wandering, disconnected thoughts are a warning sign of driver fatigue. (True or False)

TRUE. If you are driving and your thoughts begin to wander, it is time to pull over and take a short nap, consume some caffeine, or stop driving for the day.

11. You can stockpile sleep on the weekends to avoid being sleepy during the week. (True or False)FALSE. Sleep is not money. You can’t store up sleep to borrow it later on. But, just as with money, you can go into debt.

12. I’m a safe driver so it doesn’t matter if I’m sleepy. (True or False)

FALSE. The only safe driver is an alert driver. Even the safest drivers become confused and use poor judgment when they are sleepy. In addition, alcohol makes fatigue much worse. One drink has the same effect on a tired driver as four or five drinks for a well-rested person.

DisclaimerThe materials contained on this page were developed under a contract with the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and are being disseminated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the interest of information exchange. The FMCSA assumes no liability of the contents or use thereof.

The materials contained on this page do not establish FMCSA policies or regulations, nor do they imply an endorsement or partiality by FMCSA of any product, the NSF, or the conclusions and/or recommendations contained in the materials. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names may appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of the materials.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE WASHINGTON, DC 20590
855-368-4200

LINK: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/driver-safety/sleep-apnea/drowsy-driving-quiz

http://libertyfight.com/2016/drowsy-driving.html