What is the first step you should take if you start to feel drowsy while driving?

The most effective response when feeling drowsy while driving is to pull over and rest. This action directly addresses the root cause of drowsiness – a lack of alertness that can severely impair your ability to drive safely. Drowsy driving is akin to intoxicated driving, as it affects your reaction times and decision-making capabilities.

By pulling over, you can either take a short nap or take a break to rejuvenate yourself before continuing your journey. This ensures both your safety and the safety of others on the road.

Engaging in activities like turning up the music, consuming caffeinated beverages, or chatting with passengers may provide temporary distractions or illusions of increased alertness, but they do not effectively combat the underlying fatigue. In many cases, they can lead to overconfidence in one's ability to continue driving, which can be dangerous if the drowsiness persists.