well, its actually the second best after not to drive at all.
hand grip. yep.
i do a lot of driving and nearly killed myself a couple of times when fall into that microsleep thing.
but when i bought a set of hand grips for my windsurfing fitness routine,a light bulb popped up over my head ...
i noticed my hands become weak when i start feeling drowsiness.
so... now i keep a hand grip in my car's door pocket and if i feel about falling asleep just do as many repeats as i can changing hands till the drowsiness goes away. and do it again when it comes back. it really works. i feel safe now.
some one might suggest the alternative "natural" hand grip, but for that one you need to consult the doctor, i guess.
and remember folks, you heard it here on seabreeze first.
Opposite for me. Quick hand grip works better for me if I cant get to sleep.
Dont know why, but nod straight off after.
Like what??
Hand grip exercises are well known to relax you and promote blood flow to your hands and fingers, when relaxed you sleep better.
What are you complaining about this time. yawn 
edit just realised what you must be thinking, good on ya,,,you'll go blind in your one good eye if you keep that up.
Seriously 
Touchy subject for me.
I have lost 2 workmates over the years due to falling asleep while driving, luckily they only killed themselves.
I have seen the results of more than a few crashes from fatigued drivers.
When I discovered that I was prone to sleep apnoea - I voluntarily handed in my truck license, as well as my permits for transporting Dangerous Goods and Explosives.
There is no way I was going to take the risk of wiping out someone else [let alone possibly removing a small town from the map]
If you are tired - pull over, park up and have a snooze.
Anything less is criminal negligence as far as I am concerned.
stephen
Turn the air-con right down till you're uncomfortable. If you haven't got one, open the window till the wind annoys you. 
I have never seen a racing driver fall asleep, even with the hours and hours of going round in circles, maybe there is something in driving really fast that keeps them awake while it can put me to sleep watching
Select to expand quoteCraig66 said..
I have never seen a racing driver fall asleep, even with the hours and hours of going round in circles, maybe there is something in driving really fast that keeps them awake while it can put me to sleep watching
This is definitely true. Sitting on the freeway at 110 kmh in NSW puts me to sleep, but I never have a touch of tiredness sitting on 140kmh on overseas freeways.
Dmitri. I read a short article on a science news site a few months ago called a "Coffee Nap". Although, the context is at work in the afternoon, not driving. I don't know the technicalities, so Google it and see if it will suit your situation.
Eat an apple.... It peps you faster than sugary things or coffee .... But only works for a short time
Loud noises keep you awake. When I used to drive to Kununurra I'd play my pocket trumpet when I got tired. It combines loud noise with much needed practice. It would raise a few smiles from passing truck drivers and help while away the time. Allowed me to drive the 3,100km in 31 hrs
When really tired, I have found almost nothing works, and if it does work, it doesn't work too well. Caffeine, loud music, fresh air, cold aircon, all seem to make little difference when you are really tired.
A nap of 30 minutes, no more, and no less, should help. It has been researched that that is the optimal time. Too short and you don't get recharged enough. Longer than 30 minutes and you fall into sleep inertia (or some term like that) where you feel more tired and want to go back to sleep.
On the other hand, I have found audio books that are interesting, or even having someone to talk with, keeps my mind stimulated and makes me less tired. I drove from Sydney down to Sandy Point one year and found the audio book was so interesting that I wanted to drive for another hour to hear the end of it!
I have to add, that for me at least, energy drinks don't help. It seems that when my body is so tired I just want to sleep, I sleep and when I'm sufficiently rested, I wake up again. This means that I have drunk energy drinks, finally got to sleep, and then found a few hours later that I wake up, full of energy.... and can't get back to sleep. This is not good! Its like the energy drinks are enough to pep me up a certain level, but only after I have rested a bit first.
l quite often drive the nullabour to visit my family in perth (via n.s.w) time is a issue with me so l usually gunbarrel the long drive .l use to drink energy drinks to keep me alert it works to a point.the best thing l do now is usually 5 hours shuteye in the early morning than whack on some heavy metal Metallica or acadaca .but please remember if you feel drowsy pull over its not worth killing yourself or someone else .
I'm on 24hour call and can end up working what is the equivalent of a triple shift as well as driving around 6-800km in the day/night.
The best thing I've found for driving is drink lots and lots of water.
Then don't take a leak. Hang on to it till you think you'll burst.
It's ingrained on us since early childhood not to piss our pants
Caffeine can only help so much before it becomes detrimental
This thread is the reason we have so many fatigue related vehicle deaths.
Everyone thinks they can beat being tired and still drive. I've done it and so have you.
sn is probably the only person in the right on this one.
Ever drive for a long time and suddenly go - whoa, I wasn't paying attention for a bit then? You were probably asleep for a bit. No issue until you clip a young family on their way to holidays and they spin out and roll.
It's a culture that has to stop, especially in WA.
Yep agree with SN. The only cure for tiredness is rest.
Having said that... the one time I pulled over for a power nap was interesting... I woke up 15 minutes later and nearly tore the steering wheel off the car. I had been dreaming I was driving and fell asleep at the wheel and was about to leave the road.
These days I try to break up the drive a bit so I don't have a problem with tiredness. Seems to work for me.
Select to expand quoteMahanumah said..
Yep agree with SN. The only cure for tiredness is rest.
Having said that... the one time I pulled over for a power nap was interesting... I woke up 15 minutes later and nearly tore the steering wheel off the car. I had been dreaming I was driving and fell asleep at the wheel and was about to leave the road.
These days I try to break up the drive a bit so I don't have a problem with tiredness. Seems to work for me.
I pulled over for a snooze last week on the run between Gero and Perth but I left something playing on the iPhone bluetoothed through the car stereo. I woke up to the stereo sounds of a horse galloping through the car. Scared the **** out of me. 
Elbow out the window to keep it cold.
Do mental tricks to test your alertness/awareness.
I like to add up number plates. You can tell when you're slipping.
If you're drowsy pull over at the next roadhouse and get a dose of caffeine and sugar. If you've already done that have a nap.
I can't believe some of the comments here! I hope I never share the road with you guys that think anything but rest works.
Stop, pull over, close your eyes until you drift off. Most of the time it will be less than 20mins and your brain will be reset and ready for hours of driving. If you snooze for longer - it means you needed it.
Too many deaths by drivers that think they have a cure for staying alert.
I do regular 1000km plus journey's, the swag is always in the back . As soon as I feel the slightest tiresdness out comes the swag.
Trying to stay awake just to conform to a time limit on arrival is just foolish
Select to expand quoteRPM said..
Usually an annoying girlfriend who constantly talks works well.
I'd crash the car out of spite. 
Select to expand quoteTest pilot 1 said..
... I'd play my pocket trumpet when I got tired...
I've never heard it called that before...
I think the best way would have to be drugs. The type that keep you awake. Has been working for the truckies for years.
I do my fair share of driving (1400km round trips on average) when I've got projects out west. I always carry a small esky with some food & drinks (cold water) etc but my saving grace is a small face washer that's damp and ice cold. Whenever I feel the slightest bit of fatigue I whip out the washer and rub my face and back of neck. Works a treat. Also stretch in the car frequently and at each stop.
A can of Mother does it for me, I used to do long trips and start ed early morning, would stop at a road house to have breakie and found that I had fits of sleepiness happening about 1 hour after eating, just popped a can of mother and I would be as good as gold for the rest of the day.
