[neeravnaik]

If you are in co-passenger seat it is better to be alert and not sleep. My problem is anyway i find it tough to sleep while sitting. I have a tough time on planes and long distance buses. Big reason I always prefer trains to buses.

[theexperthand]

I never sleep if I am in a friend's\relative's car, and do not sleep in cabs too, unless it is the pick up\drop off to airport for those early morning flights.

I usually occupy the front seat and sits at back seat only for the early morning airport drop\pickup - fortunately, till date, all the cabs ferried me had rear seat belts.

On an unrelated note, I have found generally that Uber cabs in Kerala are much better looked after than the counter parts at Bangalore, but most of the cabs have the seat belts neatly tucked away (usually under those white Turkish towels)

--Anoop

[earthian]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Unfortunately for me, I just cannot doze off in a car driven by another person - I feel very vulnerable, even with my seat belt on in the rear seat, and tend to panic a bit if the car is not being driven exactly how I want it to be driven.

i suffer from the same malady. Though my chauffeurs have been with me for 4 years+, and they know how irritable i can get when they don't drive the way i want them to- and hence drive without jerks and starts- yet i cannot sleep.

Originally Posted by neeravnaik

If you are in co-passenger seat it is better to be alert and not sleep.

We have been taught from childhood that the co-passenger must not sleep and my wife follows that religiously.

[hamster]

I very rarely sleep when I am a co-passenger. Very rarely the driver inspires confidence. I remember I had slept only once, when I was not well driving my car and had given it to my friend who was travelling to drive. Otherwise, the curiosity and anxiety of the driver and the braking ability in situations doesn't give me enough sleep.

In cabs, I sleep max for 10 mins, only if the destination takes more than an hour.

Most of the time in Chennai these days the drivers of OLA and UBER are from other cities and they very rarely know the shortcuts to avoid traffic within the city. Most of the time while travelling in Cabs, I will be the Navigator !!

[vinit.merchant]

Its been a while since I have got a chance to be a passenger on long distance travels.
But I have noticed this, that when I did not know how to drive, it was pretty easy for me to feel drowsy and sleep. But once I myself started driving, I no longer get sleep as a passenger. No two people drive in the same manner and probably this is the reason I am usually always alert.

While I was a kid I always made it a point to be the front seat passenger while my uncle drove. This helped me be the DJ + it also helped me watch how he drives and I used to observe very carefully. That was the closest thing to driving a car that I could do as a kid. These trips ranged from 1000 to 3000 kms over multiple days. Talking about roughly 20-22 years back, and the car used to be Omni, the only family car of the time. At times I did feel drowsy and fell asleep, and my uncle used to poke his elbow to wake me up regularly. Though he never spoke the words, he made me realize that as a front passenger in the car, I am not supposed to doze off.

But as a driver I have almost always found co-passengers asleep on long distance travel while I drive. At such times, I silently stop for a few minutes to light a stick and then resume driving, even though I do not feel sleepy. It is just for precaution. Something I picked up as an observation while I saw my uncle drive.

[GTO]

Voted for rarely.

- I prefer to be the one driving nearly all the times that we're out (including the highway).

- Even if I have to hand over the wheel to a friend out of courtesy, I prefer to sit in the front passenger seat and keep an eye on the road.

- Rare exception if it's been a late night + early morning + long drive. On a recent Goan trip, I took forty winks after 5 - 6 hours of driving. Didn't want to get drowsy behind the wheel - related thread. The power nap sure helped!

- Will never sleep in a cab or with an unknown driver.

[noopster]

Voted Never.

I'm almost always the one driving, so I guess I have conditioned myself to always stay awake (and alert) in the car. On the rare occasion when the missus or a friend is driving, I am usually the only other one awake in the car.

I'm quite heavyset so find most back seats of cars uncomfortable, which pretty much rules out sleeping in taxis (have done a fair number of Pune-Mumbai runs by company cab). The exception is that marvellous captain seat in the middle row of the Innova- I can let myself sink into delicious slumber in there anytime!

[ach1lles]

Originally Posted by Vishid

But if I'm in a bus, where I can do neither of these, I will

Sleeping in buses is amazing. I usually love train and bus journeys and their sway movement induces mild motion sickness which causes us to feel sleepy (which is why we rock babies back and forth to sleep). Its a lovely, deep sleep too.

[SmartCat]

I have only slept once or twice in the car, and that's because I did the 'night shift' on a long inter-state drive.

Travelling by car is one of my favorite activities. Why would I sleep through it? It's like buying a ticket for a Hollywood action movie, and dozing off in the theater.

[condor]

I do take power-naps - sometimes even a good nap when in the passenger seat - but with permission from the person who is driving the car. At other times, when I am the driver, I do pull over for a power-nap, mostly in the 2nd half of the journey. Makes a good difference !

[libranof1987]

Voted for rarely.

- If it is my car (mine or family), it is always me driving; so, no question of napping

- If it is a friend / relative's car, I try to be awake and keep a passive eye on the surroundings and speed. Very, very rare chance that I will nap.

The main reason I don't nap is because I think it'd be disrespectful to the driver. On the other hand, I don't mind if my co-passengers sleep. In fact, I enjoy solitary drives more so I convince them to take a nap

- If I am in a cab, there is absolutely no chance I even catch a tiny wink. I tend to keep a hawkish eye on the surroundings, driving mannerisms and speed (80 km/hr is the limit)

The need for a nap doesn't generally arise because I don't ever do night-starts; it is always a post-5am start, where I've had at least 5-6 hours of sleep.

The flip side to this survey can be how you (as a driver) feel about your co-passengers napping.

I, for one, absolutely don't mind. My parents and wife don't feel that way though: they mandate that the co-pilot is always awake.

[Jakku]

Voted for very frequently.

Mostly, it is me driving and in our regular friends group, it doesn't matter whose car it is, I am the default driver. Even my friends prefer it as they can indulge in "extra-curricular" activities. In case I am not driving, the jokes and other things going in will ensure we are awake.

If it is not the regular group of friends, I take quick naps of 15-20 mins every one hour or so. Having said that, if there is a panic breaking or some quick/ sudden lane changes, then my sleep will be gone for ever. Also, if I am not feeling comfortable with the driving style of the driver, I am awake throughout and cannot sleep.

If it is my family, only I know driving, so there is no choice. My wife & M-I-L ensures they are awake, but my F-I-L always sleeps in any mode of transport. My father never sleeps if in a car and mother always sleeps even if she is in the co-pilot seat and I don't mind the co-pilot sleeping.

If my B-I-Ls are there, then mostly we have to fight for getting the driving seat, but we rarely sleep in this company due to jokes, songs (one of my B-I-L sings very nicely, not professional though) etc.

If I am in an inter-city, overnight bus, even Volvo, my sleep is totally disturbed, but in a local bus, I sometimes even sleep standing leaning to the seat!!! Even in trains I can't get proper sound sleep. Contrarily, my quick naps in a car are more deep.

I have a friend of a mine, a good driver, but he never allows anyone to sleep if he is driving. At times, he ignores the guys in the back bench, but never the co-pilot. Also, if any of the guys snore (and I do it a lot, that too loudly) he can't stand that.

[srikanthns]

Though I want to sleep, I do not do that. Because of a fear that , if I sleep , and seeing me sleep, by contagion, driver also should not become drowsy!

[narayans80]

Rarely!

I can recollect only 2-3 times that I slept travelling in a car in the last 20 years. I rarely get sleep even travelling in buses.

Never powernapped when I am driving since I time to reach the destination by 0230 at the most. The only full-night drive, featured a 20 minute tea break. My missus mostly stayed awake, talked through most of the night drives.

[somspaple]

A lot depends with whom are you travelling with. If it's my college buddies, I know how they drive. We have been on these numerous drives where we never stay at any place for overnight nap. And we take turns at driving : I prefer driving in the night post 12AM - and at the first hint of Sun in the morning I would retire to the rear seat and sleep without a care in the world while my friend/s continue to drive. And it is the same with them. And all along music blaring at full volume.

But with family, it is me who is a primary driver. Even if my brother drives, I almost never get sleep since these drives are usually short of around 400-450kms from point A to B.

:None of the options