2. Professional athletes spend a lot of time and energy preparing themselves physically and mentally to perform.
The same principle applies to the vehicle driver. To operate a vehicle well, you must be both physically and mentally fit.
For the athlete, failure to prepare properly may result in the heartbreak of losing a game; whereas, for the driver a similar failure could result in the loss of life.
Safe driving depends on your skill, your correct decisions, and your physical, mental, and emotion condition. As you will see, many factors affect your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. As a pedestrian, passenger, or driver, you must make responsible decisions to make yourself alert and fit to drive.
This module deals with how to properly prepare yourself for the road

3. Leaving for a long trip when you are already tired is dangerous
Leaving for a long trip when you are already tired is dangerous. If you are planning a long trip, ensure you get enough sleep before you depart.
Most people require 7 to 8 hours of sleep every 24 hours to be sufficiently alert. If you have not gotten enough sleep, postpone your trip until you have had the chance to get proper sleep

4. Your body gets accustomed to sleeping during certain hours
Your body gets accustomed to sleeping during certain hours.  If you are driving during those hours, you will be less alert.  If possible, try to schedule trips for the hours you are normally awake.  Many vehicle accidents occur between 2400 and 0600 and tired drivers can easily fall asleep at these times, especially if they do not regularly drive at those hours.  Trying to complete a long trip at these hours can be very dangerous.  Schedule your trips to ensure you arrive safely

5. Many medicines can make you sleepy
Many medicines can make you sleepy.  Avoid driving if you are taking medication with a label warning against operating vehicles or machinery.  The most common medicine of this type is an ordinary cold pill.  If you have to make a long trip, drive with the symptoms of your cold - do not take the medicine.  You are better off suffering from the cold symptoms than from the effects of the medicine.

6. If your vehicle’s interior is too hot, you can get sleepy
If your vehicle’s interior is too hot, you can get sleepy.  Keep the window or vent cracked or use the air conditioner.  Also, when the temperature outside is cold, do not set your heater control too high because, again, this can make you drowsy

7. When you are sleepy, trying to “push on” is far more dangerous than most drivers think.  This is one of the major causes of accidents.  Take a break and refresh yourself before driving on.

8. When your body needs sleep, sleep is the only thing that will work
When your body needs sleep, sleep is the only thing that will work.  If you have to make a stop anyway, make it whenever you feel the first signs of sleepiness, even if it is earlier than you planned.  By getting up a little earlier the next day, you can keep on schedule without the danger of driving while you are not alert.

9. Even if you are not tired, take regular rest stops
Even if you are not tired, take regular rest stops.  Switch off with another driver every hour or so if possible and stop for coffee or a soft drink every 100 miles or every two hours.

10. If you cannot stop for the night, at least pull off the road and take a nap.  A nap as short as a half-hour will do more to overcome fatigue than a half-hour coffee stop.

11. There are no drugs that can overcome your being tired
There are no drugs that can overcome your being tired.  While these drugs may keep you awake for awhile, they will not make you alert.  Eventually, you will be even more tired than if you had not taken them.
Sleep is the only thing that can overcome fatigue

12. Driving is a full time job
Driving is a full time job.  Too many accidents are caused by drivers who are distracted because they are talking on the cell phone, putting on make-up, shaving, reading, and other driving distracters.
Don’t become a statistic.  Take care of these other tasks prior to getting behind the wheel

13. Drinking alcohol and driving is a very serious problem
Drinking alcohol and driving is a very serious problem.  People who drink alcohol are involved in traffic accidents resulting in over 16 thousand deaths and 300 thousand injuries each year!
In fact, over 40 percent of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related.
During the next several slides, I will discuss how alcohol works in the human body, how alcohol affects your driving abilities, laws about drinking and driving, and the legal, financial, and safety risks of drinking and driving.

14. There are many dangerous ideas about the use of alcohol
There are many dangerous ideas about the use of alcohol.  The driver who believes in these wrong ideas will be more likely to get into trouble.  Take a moment to read the examples

15. So what is a drink anyway
So what is a drink anyway? A drink is the alcohol in a beverage that affects human performance.  It does not make any difference whether that alcohol comes from “just a couple of beers” or from two glasses of wine or two shots of whiskey.
In fact, 12 ounces of 5 percent beer gives you the same amount of alcohol as 5 ounces of 12 percent wine or one and one-half ounces of 80 proof hard liquor.
Remember:  Alcohol is alcohol regardless of the source

16. So how does alcohol work to affect your driving abilities
So how does alcohol work to affect your driving abilities?  Well, alcohol goes directly from your stomach into your blood stream.  You can control the amount of alcohol you consume; however, you cannot control how fast the body disposes the alcohol. If you drink faster than the body can get rid of the alcohol, you will have more alcohol in your body and your driving will be affected.
The amount of alcohol in your body is commonly measured by your Blood Alcohol Content or BAC.

17. Your BAC is determined by the amount of alcohol you drink, how fast your drink, and your weight.
More alcohol means a higher BAC as does drinking faster.  Also, the less you weigh the higher your BAC will be given the same amount of alcohol.
Alcohol affects more of the brain as BAC builds up.  The first part of the brain affected controls judgment and self control.  One of the bad things about this is it can keep drinkers from knowing they are getting drunk.  Good judgment and self control are absolutely necessary for safe driving.
As your BAC continues to build, your muscle control, vision, and coordination are affected more.  Eventually, a person will pass out if he consumes enough alcohol

18. All drivers - including you - are affected by drinking alcohol
All drivers - including you - are affected by drinking alcohol. Alcohol affects judgment, vision, coordination, and reaction time. Drinking and driving causes serious driving errors such as;
Increased reaction time to hazards Driving too fast or too slow Driving in the wrong lane Running over the curb Weaving Straddling lanes Quick, jerky starts Not signaling, failure to use lights Running stop lights and stop signs, and Improper passing

19. The effects I just described all mean increased chances of getting into an accident.
Accident statistics prove that the chance of a crash is greater for drivers who have been drinking than for drivers who were not.  And according to the American Medical Association, on an average night in America, 40% of people aged 18 to 30 will drink enough alcohol to impair mental and physical performance.
Beyond the tragedies of lost lives, alcohol related injuries alone cost the United States an estimated 47 billion dollars annually. . .
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE!

20. Besides alcohol, other legal and illegal drugs are being used more and more often.   Laws prohibit possession or use of many drugs while driving. Laws also prohibit anyone from being under the influence of any controlled substance, an amphetamine (including PEP pills and bennies), narcotics, or any other substance which can make the driver unsafe.  This prohibition could include a variety of prescription and over-the-counter drugs,  like cold medicines,  which may make you drowsy or otherwise affect your safe driving abilities

21. Pay attention to warning labels of legitimate drugs and medicines and to your doctor’s orders regarding possible side-affects.  Stay away from illegal drugs, period.
Do not use any drugs that hide fatigue,  the only cure for fatigue is rest.
Alcohol can make the effects of other drugs much worse so do not mix the two.
The safest rule is “Do not mix drugs with driving”.

22. The use of drugs can lead to traffic accidents resulting in death, injury, and property damage.  Furthermore, it can lead to your arrest, fines, and jail sentences.   The use of drugs can mean the end of your right to drive and is also a career stopper

23. Any health problem can affect your driving ability
Any health problem can affect your driving ability.  It could be a bad cold, an infection, or a virus to name a few.  Even little problems like a stiff neck, a cough, or a sore leg can affect your driving.
If you are not up to par, let someone else do the driving.

24. Emotions quickly affect your judgment and ability to drive
Emotions quickly affect your judgment and ability to drive.  You cannot drive well if you are worried, excited, afraid, angry, or just plain down.  An emotional state, in most cases, will eventually affect your coordination.  Emotions are hard to control.
Here are a few tips on controlling your emotions:
If you are angry or excited, give yourself time to cool off.  Take a short walk and regain control prior to going on the road.
If you are worried or down about something, try to take your mind off it.  Listen to the radio or talk to a friend.  Do something to get yourself focused on other topics.
Lastly, if you are feeling impatient, give yourself extra time to get to your destination.  Leave a few minutes early so you will not be tempted to speed, shave traffic lights, or do other things that are both dangerous and may get you in trouble with the law.

25. Good vision is essential for safe driving
Good vision is essential for safe driving. Most of what you do behind the wheel is based on what you see. Good eyesight means: Seeing Clearly.  If you cannot see clearly, you cannot judge distances or spot trouble early.
Good eyesight also means having good peripheral vision.  Seeing well out of the corners of your eyes lets you spot cars creeping up on either side of you while your eyes are on the road ahead.
You also need the ability to accurately judge distances to drive well.  Good vision gives you that ability.
Lastly, you need good night vision.  We will discuss night driving in a later module, but you need to know that although some people who can see clearly in the daytime have great difficulty seeing at night. 
Good vision is important and so it is recommended that you have your eyes checked every year or two.  You may never know about bad side vision or bad distance judgment unless you have your eyes checked.

26. When it comes to driving, your ability to hear well is more important than you may realize.
If you cannot hear other drivers’ horns, sirens, or screeching tires then you are lacking a tool that can keep you out of an accident.
A loud radio will block your ability to hear what is going on around you. Keep the volume down for your safety sake.
A hearing problem, like bad eyesight, can come on so slowly that you do not notice it. Drivers who know they have hearing problems can adjust.  They can learn to rely more on their seeing habits

27. Your own condition - your physical, mental, and emotional fitness to drive - outweigh any other hazard you will face on the road.  Be as objective as possible about your fitness to drive before going on the road.
This concludes our module on “Staying Alert and Fit To Drive”.  In the next module we will discuss how to inspect your vehicle.