The Empty Highway

He had just filled his tank, grabbed a hot coffee and some seeds to chew on.

"I'm so stupid,"he mumbled to himself. He pulled his car out of the station and headed for I-80 and San Francisco. He yawned and looked at his watch...3 A.M.  He swore at him self again and thought about the drive and then took his first sip of the coffee.

It burned his mouth and he swore again. He merged onto an empty I-80 and pushed the speedometer up to ninety, yawned and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. His eye began to burn and he tried to rub it with the sleeve of his shirts.

His car drifted out of the lane but the speed bumps alerted him and he corrected with no problem. He reached across the car to the glove box and felt until he found an old clean-ex he had shoved in there sometime in the past.  The car swerved a little but it didn't matter because the freeway was empty. He wiped his eye and it quit burning.

The speedometer had edged up to ninety-five. He sipped the coffee. It had cooled off enough to take a full gulp. The highway was beginning it's upward climb into the pass. He opened the seeds, yawned and put a small fist full into his mouth and began working them with his teeth and his tongue.

The highway curved as it wound its way through the pass. He was glad as it helped him stay awake. It was the long straight stretches where his head nodded and he had to shake it to keep his eyes open. He swallowed the last of his coffee and wished he had bought two cups. He fisted another mouthful of seeds and decided the first gas station that was open he would stop for more coffee.

He had to drive straight through. He was supposed to be at work at eight. He swore at himself again for stopping in Reno. He slammed the dash with his closed hand. He has lost his rent money and a lot more in Reno. The speedometer was bouncing around 100.

The highway had left the pass and was on a long straight run towards Sacramento. There was some traffic but not enough to slow him down. He had all the windows open so the cold air would help him stay awake. He stretched his arms against the steering wheel, arched his back and yawned.

The girl came from nowhere. She was just there...in the middle of the highway. He swerved and lost control. The car flipped. His last thought was how stupid he had been.

A witness that he had just passed told the trooper that the car had just swerved as if it was trying to miss something but there was nothing there. The highway had been completely empty.

"My guess is highway hypnosis," the trooper said.

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Note - Relaxation of the mind occurs when driving for long distances at highway speeds. Your mind plays tricks on your body and makes you believe that you are almost stationary. Your surroundings appear to slow down and you experience a decrease in concentration. This hypnotic state leaves you vulnerable to any potentially dangerous changes in your environment (e.g., animal runs across road or vehicle swerves in your direction).
Highway hypnosis most often occurs:

• When drivers are fatigued or under extreme stress
• When driving long distances during normal sleep times (e.g., early morning hours)

This story is based upon the death of a friend of mine. He was driving from Denver to San Francisco when his car flipped just outside of Sacramento. His death was contributed to Highway hypnosis. He had just borrowed one thousand dollars form his parents.

It was assumed he lost most of it in Reno as they found less than fifty dollars on him..

gs batty for Two Shoes Tuesday -