We have all nodded off a second or two while
driving—travelling down the road and all of a sudden we open our eyes and realize
we nodded off. That instant in time will
get our attention quickly and for a moment we are readily alert—but only for a
moment. This is a clear indicator that
we should pull over and rest for a while or allow someone else, someone more
alert then we are, to take over the responsibility of driving.
Some might think nodding off on a motorcycle is something
that seldom happens. For those who are
inexperienced in riding, or who have never participated in a long distance
endurance ride, it is easy to believe nodding off on a motorcycle is something
that just can’t happen. But this is not
the case. Sleep deprivation while riding
greatly increases the risk of catastrophe.
Multiple studies show a lack of proper sleep reduces
reaction time and clouds perception. Lack of sleep severely affects a rider’s
coordination and hampers the ability to focus. (Not sure I would need an expensive study to
determine that, but that’s a discussion for another time.) There are two things a rider must be able to
rely on while riding. One being an
escape route in the event of an unexpected obstacle and the other is the
ability to recognize that obstacle in sufficient time to react—that requires
focus.
As we ride we constantly scan the surrounding area often
looking several hundred feet to our front as well as activities behind and
beside us. If our ability to focus and
quickly process what we see is hampered by sleep deprivation then we are
nothing more than an accident waiting to happen. A slight lapse in concentration, caused by
sleep deprivation, can decrease your ability to correctly determine the
distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. When that vehicle in front of you, that you
are already too close to, executes an emergency stop then that same lapse in
concentration will hinder the thought process that is telling you to stop—lack
of proper distance coupled with lack of reaction time equals a bad day. If you put all those parameters together in
that split second of time (lack of sleep, lack of distance and longer reaction
time) you will ride right into the trunk of their car. Such an event, at best, will leave a mark on
your bike or, at worst, take your life.
As a cross country endurance ride, the Hoka Hey Motorcycle
Challenge presents inherent risks. It
demands a great deal from its participants and, as a result, riders will
frequently put themselves in a position where they could exceed their limits. Therein lies the dilemma… We all know our own limits but we also know
that we might tend to push the proverbial envelope when we accept the
Challenge.
The question is this…
Once we accept the Challenge we are inclined to, during the event, intentionally
deprive ourselves of sleep. Sleep
deprivation will increase a person’s tendency to take risks which can cloud our
judgment and give us the illusion that it is acceptable to take that risk to
the next level. We recognize that it is
our obligation to act responsibly when we reach our personal limit but how do
we know when we’ve gone too far?
So, we've identified the problem. How do we combat it? We'll talk about that next week in part II of “Sleep Deprivation and the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.”
So, we've identified the problem. How do we combat it? We'll talk about that next week in part II of “Sleep Deprivation and the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.”
