Serious issues in situational awareness

rbsivley

Three issues came to light this week concerning my vehicle situational awareness; seat belts, sleeping and cell phones. 
Currently I'm the designated driver for the family. So at times I might spend 15 minutes or an hour or so in my truck waiting. 
The other day I realized that I was sitting there in the Anniston Walmart parking lot strapped in my truck. Not a good feeling for me. 
That got me thinking more about it  which identified the cell phone problem. Getting absorbed in my phone while waiting. Not good. 
Then there's falling asleep while waiting. I don't sleep much at night. I have a reputation since a I was a kid of being able to sleep in a vehicle. I can go out like a light when a passenger. 
Falling asleep alone in a parked vehicle is not a good idea. 
Therefore, the retraining has begun.

zorba

Dump the smartphone...

Jayhawker

I cannot begin to count the hours that I have set in the car, mostly in hospital parking lots, over the years...certainly in the hundreds...
Primarily because I won't  wait on my spouse inside the hospital...where, if there is something to catch...that's exactly where you're  going to catch it.

Unbuckle your seatbelt...lock the doors...listen to the radio...read a good book...and yes...if you set there long enough, you're  going to drift off...unless you're not human.

breamfisher

Dump the book. It's going to impede your situational awareness. 

Bigslug

Truthfully, if it's not a losing battle, it's a challenging one.

The problem with being the good guy is you're always reactive to what the other guy does. The lion only has to be alert when its hungry; the impala has to be alert ALL THE TIME, which is very tough.  The trick then is to give the impression of a hard target to make lions go elsewhere.

Fortunately, given so many totally oblivious folks wandering around today, that ain't real hard.

CHIRO1989

breamfisher said:

Dump the book. It's going to impede your situational awareness. 

Depends, on where you where you are sitting, how you are orientated, and your familiarity with your surroundings, probably not a he best idea to be engrossed in a suspenseful novel, but fiddling with the radio because you do not want to listen to “Jump” by Van Halen is not much better of a distraction 

Jayhawker

It's  strange how I can read a book and still be  aware of anyone approaching my vehicle I need to be concerned about....Where I park must have a lot to do with it...I avoid crowded parts of the lot...

breamfisher

We need a sarcasm font.

Zee

breamfisher said:

We need a sarcasm font.

I picked up on it. Was watching the cork and waiting. 😁

Bigslug

Of course, sitting in a car for 15 minutes around here will kill you from heatstroke, so "situational awareness" mostly consists of realizing "I'm dehydrated". 

CHIRO1989

Jayhawker said:

It's  strange how I can read a book and still be  aware of anyone approaching my vehicle I need to be concerned about....Where I park must have a lot to do with it...I avoid crowded parts of the lot...

I was hoping for a more "tactical" response , fishing as it were....

jbp-ohio

Jayhawker said:

Unbuckle your seatbelt...lock the doors...listen to the radio...read a good book...and yes...if you set there long enough, you're  going to drift off...unless you're not human.

Depends on what you drive. If I unbuckle the seatbelt, then I would have to undo the parking brake manually to make a get-a-way. I also need the belt to hold me in place should I need to..... MOVE another vehicle out of the way.

Spk

If you find yourself drifting off to sleep, get out and walk around the vehicle (if it's clear), otherwise, play rap music -- you won't fall asleep 🤣

Some_Mook

Get a wire fox terror to post overwatch in your truck.  About 18 pounds of 110% situational awareness that doesn't shed or drool. Nothing will get close to your vehicle without you being aware of it.  Ever.

(Terror is not a spelling error.  'Terrier' is what the tourists and uninitiated call the breed.)

Justsomedude

Some_Mook said:

Get a wire fox terror to post overwatch in your truck.  About 18 pounds of 110% situational awareness that doesn't shed or drool. Nothing will get close to your vehicle without you being aware of it.  Ever.

(Terror is not a spelling error.  'Terrier' is what the tourists and uninitiated call the breed.)

Had a Jack Russell. Can confirm...

rbsivley

Justsomedude said:

Some_Mook said:

Get a wire fox terror to post overwatch in your truck.  About 18 pounds of 110% situational awareness that doesn't shed or drool. Nothing will get close to your vehicle without you being aware of it.  Ever.

(Terror is not a spelling error.  'Terrier' is what the tourists and uninitiated call the breed.)

Had a Jack Russell. Can confirm...

I have a  Jack Russell/pit bull mix  but she's  a home body.  Likes to stay near my wife. 

avmech

When relegated to sitting and waiting duty, it is waiting for the wife........which means our doberman is in the vehicle...she works two jobs at that time: early warning system and a hell of a deterrent to any lowlife thinking about doing no good.  Her bark will scare anybody off...........