Driving Effects Caffeine Vs. Napping

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Driving Effects Caffeine Vs.Napping
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I remember during my freshman year at college, I
worked at a retail store, and it was the evening
of Thanksgiving, so I was napping right before my
shift.
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This to me meant that I would be going to work at
the stroke of midnight to deal with the huge
sales.
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I remember thinking to myself, Im glad I took a
nap before driving to work".
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However, I wondered what about my fellow workers
who just had an energy drink or some other form
of caffeine.
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How are they feeling?
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The answer is that they probably felt about the
same as me.
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However, they probably werent as focused as I
was which is important especially when driving at
night on a busy night.
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Napping versus caffeine has been proven to be
better for people.
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A study at UG San Diego in California consisted
of 61 participants from which half was given a
caffeine pill and the other half took a 90 minute
nap.
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The participants would soon be given a series of
tests to compare cognitive tasks emphasizing
verbal memory, motor skills, and perceptual
learning to see if there is a difference in
effectiveness between caffeine and naps.
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Following the tests it appears that both parties
felt about the same at the beginning of the tests.
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However the participants that took the 90 minute
nap scored higher in the tasks mentioned above.
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Youre probably asking yourself What does this
have to do with driving safely? The answer is
that all of the skills that were tested above are
needed for safe driving.
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Drivers use the verbal memory when they listen to
sounds on the road.
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You remember from the sound you heard during
driving with your relatives or in a defensive
driving course that when you hear a train you
know to look out.
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With your general motor skills you know when to
apply pressure to the accelerator to drive at a
safe speed.
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You also know when to apply the brake to slow
down, make a safe turn, or merge into another
lane.
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Drivers use their perceptual learning in order to
perceive what is safe and what isnt.
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This comes from the experience a driver receives
from driving safely.
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In conclusion napping is usually safer for
driving than taking a caffeine supplement when
the driver is tired.