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Road Trip

  • Published
  • By Kim Brumley
  • The Mobility Forum
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Note:  Long before the Air Force Safety Center stood up at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., on Jan. 1, 1996, Airmen were sharing their lessons learned in a variety of safety publications such as Aerospace Safety, Aerospace Maintenance Safety, Air Force Driver, among others.  During a year-long commemoration of the safety center's 20th anniversary, the Public Affairs Office will highlight previously-published articles and reprise historic Rex Riley cartoons to emphasize that long-standing safety practices and lessons learned remain relevant to the mishap prevention program of today's Air Force.

A few years ago when I was 20 (okay, it's been more than just a few years ago, but we'll just say it was a few years), my friends and I drove to South Padre Island, Texas, for a weekend getaway. Altogether, there were seven girls in two cars. This was back in the days before navigation systems (but remember, it was only a few years ago), yet none of us remembered to take a map, so we had to stop and buy one. Apparently, careful planning and preparation were not part of this adventure.

As we hit the open road, we agreed to take turns driving during the 12-hour, all-night trek to the south Texas border. Not surprisingly, my passengers fell asleep and appeared dazed at each stop, so I remained behind the wheel. Admittedly, remaining behind the wheel was partly my own fault because I couldn't bring myself to hand over the keys to my shiny, new car to anyone who wasn't completely alert. In reality, by 4 a.m. I wasn't too alert either.

Around 9 or 10 a.m. the next morning, we made it to San Antonio. To this day, I can't remember going through major cities along the way; it was all a blur. Looking back on it, I realize how dangerous it was for me to continue driving simply because I was too stubborn to let someone else take over. Sometimes it's difficult to grasp the severity of a situation when you're in it because it's human nature to think terrible accidents only happen to other people. But accidents can and do happen to everyone.

Somehow, we made it unharmed to our hotel in South Padre, but my stupidity did not end there. Instead of climbing into a nice comfortable bed to catch a little shut eye, I changed into my swimsuit and went to the beach with the other girls. The scene on the beach was unforgettable: hundreds of swimsuit clad bodies and a seemingly endless supply of alcoholic beverages. As we walked along, checking out the little clusters of people, one of the girls made a remark about the blistery, hot sand burning her feet. The sand didn't seem too hot to me, but I hadn't slept in over 36 hours, so I suppose my feet were numb by then. We finally found a vacant spot large enough to accommodate all seven of us.

By then, I simply wanted to stretch out on my beach towel and take a nice long nap while basking in the sun. Unfortunately, I'm not one who finds sleep easy, and every time I almost drifted off to sleep, I was abruptly awakened by a yell or blaring music, or some other annoying noise. I should have gone back to the room, but I was exhausted and didn't want to move. For hours, I grabbed a few minutes of sleep here and there.

After the sun went down, the crowd migrated elsewhere, and we went to the hotel pool. By then, I had gotten just enough sleep to catch my second wind, so I was up and going again. But around 10 p.m., I was completely out of steam and ready to call it quits for the day. Just as I was heading to the room, one of the girls mentioned we hadn't eaten since lunch. The thought of scarfing down a few tacos actually sounded better than bed, so four of us piled into my car, and we took off for a taco place about a half mile down the road. When we got there, it was like a feeding frenzy! It is amazing how many tacos four little petite women can eat. Unfortunately, my full stomach made me feel even more tired, and I could hardly keep my eyes open.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I turned right instead of left and got lost. I was tired and frustrated, and was ignoring the directions my passengers were barking out to me. I began randomly turning down streets, hoping to get back on track. At one point, I could see the sign for the hotel in the distance but couldn't manage to get on the street that led to the entrance. Finally, I thought I was headed in the right direction when I suddenly saw police car lights in my rearview mirror.

I pulled over to the shoulder of the road, and an officer approached the car and shined his flashlight in my face. Squinting, I asked why I had been pulled over.

"Ma'am," he said, "you are driving the wrong way down a one-way street." Then he asked if I had been drinking.

"Oh, no sir!" I replied. From outward appearances, I'm sure I looked like I was intoxicated.

"Ma'am, get out of the car please."

Even though I hadn't been drinking, I panicked. I remember thinking, Great, my first night in South Padre and I'm going to jail. The officer had the other girls get out of the car as well so he could search it. Standing there, watching the search, I became even more terrified. Obviously, I was not thinking straight because my only crime had been driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

Thankfully, my friends stepped forward when I needed them. One even negotiated a deal with the officer, and he allowed her to drive my car back to the hotel, where I finally got some much-needed sleep.

Although no one was injured or incarcerated, the events of those two days are prime examples of what NOT to do on a road trip. Lack of sleep can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence because it impairs your judgment. Getting pulled over taught me that valuable lesson. Now that I'm just a few years older (yes, I'm still sticking to that story) and a tad bit wiser, I know the best thing would have been to hand my car keys over much sooner. Cars can be replaced, and they certainly aren't worth putting yourself or a friend in harm's way. (Reprinted from The Mobility Forum, Summer 2013)