# Man causes three car pileup after fainting from holding breath **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 26, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312 "2014-05-26T21:01:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/1 "2014-05-26T21:01:20Z")
Title is pretty much the story. Guy tries to hold his breath in a tunnel, passes out, drifts across the center line, and causes a three car crash, Luckily no one was killed. [http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Man-holding-breath-in-Oregon-tunnel-causes-crash-5505178.php](http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Man-holding-breath-in-Oregon-tunnel-causes-crash-5505178.php) Don’t really had a point, just thought that was a pretty stupid reason to get in an accident. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/2 "2014-05-26T21:23:51Z")
That is crazy. I hold my breath across bridges (you’re supposed to get a wish if you make it), but not if I’m the one driving! The article says that it should only take ten seconds to get through that tunnel, though. A healthy person should be able to hold their breath for that long without fainting. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/3 "2014-05-26T21:28:55Z")
There ain’t no limits to stupid. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/4 "2014-05-26T21:50:32Z")
i wish i could have some excitement. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/5 "2014-05-26T22:54:52Z")
Poor guy was confused about auto-erotic asphyxiation. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/6 "2014-05-26T23:20:38Z")
It’s not biologically possible to pass out from holding one’s breath. Carbon dioxide concentration on your brain stem will force you to breathe well before your brain shuts off. This dude was doing something stupid, I’m sure, but he didn’t pass out. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/7 "2014-05-26T23:24:58Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > Poor guy was confused about auto-erotic asphyxiation. Good thing he didn’t hit a truck, then he would have been semi-conscious. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/8 "2014-05-26T23:33:37Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > Poor guy was confused about auto-erotic asphyxiation. It was automobile asphyxiation. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/9 "2014-05-26T23:34:06Z")
Dude. I know honesty is the best policy. But next time, just tell the police officer that you took your eyes off the road to change the radio station or something. Now your name and “dumbass” are forever linked just because you don’t know how to lie. Kids today, I swear. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/10 "2014-05-26T23:41:25Z")
How do you pass out from holding your breath _10 seconds_? I’m with **Chessic** , unless he’s really a fainting goat, he wasn’t holding his breath but that’s his cover story for whatever stupid shit he was doing. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/11 "2014-05-26T23:51:38Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How do you pass out from holding your breath _10 seconds_? I’m with **Chessic** , unless he’s really a fainting goat, he wasn’t holding his breath but that’s his cover story for whatever stupid shit he was doing. A fainting goat would need someone else in the car to go “BOO!” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/12 "2014-05-26T23:59:41Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > It’s not biologically possible to pass out from holding one’s breath. Carbon dioxide concentration on your brain stem will force you to breathe well before your brain shuts off. This dude was doing something stupid, I’m sure, but he didn’t pass out. Cite please I understand it is a normal reaction to that situation but very difficult to achieve, it is your last resort for this type of stunt (to pass out so as to breath normally). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/13 "2014-05-27T00:19:12Z")
“Forget it Jake, it’s Oregon.” ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/14 "2014-05-27T02:12:09Z")
I misread the thread title as car pileup after farting:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/15 "2014-05-27T03:15:16Z")
> [@67java89](#): > > I misread the thread title as car pileup after farting:smack: That’s why he was holding his breath. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/16 "2014-05-27T04:38:32Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > The article says that it should only take ten seconds to get through that tunnel, though. A healthy person should be able to hold their breath for that long without fainting. Maybe traffic was backed up for a while. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/17 "2014-05-27T05:09:26Z")
> [@67java89](#): > > I misread the thread title as car pileup after farting:smack: Me too! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/18 "2014-05-27T05:36:09Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > How do you pass out from holding your breath _10 seconds_? He had previously ingested some pharmacological substance, possibly? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2014, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/19 "2014-05-27T09:06:13Z")
> [@buddy431](#): > > Title is pretty much the story. Guy tries to hold his breath in a tunnel, passes out, Straw which broke the camels back. The air in the tunnel may have been TOO POLLUTED. The aging of the fleet may be increasing CO levels. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312/20 "2014-05-28T01:32:17Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Cite please > > I understand it is a normal reaction to that situation but very difficult to achieve, it is your last resort for this type of stunt (to pass out so as to breath normally). Passing out is what happens if you **hyper** ventilate. Here’s the beginning of [a rabbit hole](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_of_respiration) on the topic. Have fun clicking blue links for a while. You can Google up any number of explanations of it, but the short skinny is that buildup of CO2 on the brain stem forces respiration. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-causes-three-car-pileup-after-fainting-from-holding-breath/689312.md?page=2)