# Why Is Driving a Car So Tiring? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188 "2008-07-11T23:08:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/1 "2008-07-11T23:08:01Z")
I mean, how much physical labor are you doing.sitting in the driver’s seat? You have power steering, power brakes…yet, after a 5 hour stretch I get very tired. Why is this? ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/2 "2008-07-11T23:13:55Z")
Maybe because in requires your full concentration. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/3 "2008-07-11T23:29:06Z")
I get tired from sitting in one position without much opportunity to move around much, and from the need to focus visually on the road and traffic. Since I got wraparound sunglasses the eyestrain has lessened considerably. Now when I take a break from a long drive, I don’t want to rest, I want to walk around for a while, work out the kinks and so on. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/4 "2008-07-11T23:37:11Z")
There’s more physical atcivity than you might think. Every time you go over a bump, the muscles in your torso, legs and neck have to adjust. And riding in a car is quite bumpy, even on smooth roads. There are little dips and rises everywhere. Every single one prompts involuntary contractions in muscles all over your body. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/5 "2008-07-11T23:40:34Z")
I hear it’s from positive ions. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/6 "2008-07-12T00:06:58Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] There’s more physical atcivity than you might think. Every time you go over a bump, the muscles in your torso, legs and neck have to adjust. And riding in a car is quite bumpy, even on smooth roads. There are little dips and rises everywhere. Every single one prompts involuntary contractions in muscles all over your body. [/QUOTE] Having done long-distance journies by coach, this makes a lot of sense. The driver’s seats are generally mounted on a soft suspension setup, and the amount of visible movement caused by the verticle shifting of the vehicle is quite surprising. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/7 "2008-07-12T01:06:21Z")
You might be breathing tainted air, due to a leak in your exhaust system. (It happened to me once.) ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/8 "2008-07-12T02:40:01Z")
Ever play RTS games, or heck, even an intense board game with friends? IMO it’s the sheer mental concentration that is so tiring. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/9 "2008-07-12T03:38:51Z")
Crappy ergonomics. Mercedes (at least they used to) make not the prettiest or initially comfortable drivers seats but if you drive for any length of time they’re the most restful. Have you ever seen a sentence mangled like that? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/10 "2008-07-12T04:07:52Z")
[QUOTE=Mongo Ponton] Mercedes (at least they used to) make not the prettiest or initially comfortable drivers seats but if you drive for any length of time they’re the most restful. Have you ever seen a sentence mangled like that? 😕 [/QUOTE] Well, it may not be the prettiest or most syntactically clear sentence but if you keep mulling over it for awhile it makes sense. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/11 "2008-07-12T04:16:25Z")
I suspect that inadequate oxygen plays a role in driving fatigue. Part of that is air quality–even if you don’t get any exhaust fumes in the cabin, you’re often sitting in a smallish box, breathing recirculated air for an extended period. It’s not airtight, of course, but the air quality does suffer unless you periodically flush the cabin with fresh air. Also, people engaged in a sedentary task, making only small movements, may not breathe deeply enough or often enough. Long distance driving is usually a monotonous task, and it leads your body to try to drift off to sleep, with the attendant changes in respiration. I find that doing things that force you to breathe more deeply, like talking or singing, greatly reduces the fatigue. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/12 "2008-07-12T05:27:48Z")
We did a road trip this week. We went to the Oregon coast, about 6 hours away. I drove back today. My right quad and both trisceps cramped for 3 hours. No matter how I adjusted the seat or moved, nothing helped. I could barely walk when we got home. The driver’s seat adjusts multiple ways, it even remembers my special settings. It was just from being tense in traffic, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Lavender\_Falcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b782af/32.png) [@Lavender\_Falcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lavender_Falcon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/13 "2008-07-12T08:24:13Z")
I have health problems that make me very prone to repetitive stress injuries, and being forced to maintain one position with only slight variations possible hurts me. Holding still, from the perspective of my muscles, is “repetitive.” So driving is difficult for me if it starts pushing to an hour. There is only so much wiggling you can do while staying in the position required to drive. Cruise control helps, but isn’t an option in most of the driving circumstances I’m in. Being a passenger is somewhat easier. I can wiggle and shift around more. But I still have a hard time with it. Riding in an airplane makes me incredibly ill. Those seats don’t allow you to vary your position in any way that is meaningful to my body. Even a three hour direct flight with no delays wipes me out. By the time I have to do it again to come home, I’m guaranteed to be feeling crappy for weeks. Now I hear airlines are thinking about charging more for aisle seats, which allow me at least some movement, the thought of getting on a plane feels like torture unless I pay the extortion. Anyway, my problems just make me more sensitive to things that affect even healthy folks. It’s just that my body feels it sooner. Holding still puts more strain on you than most people realize. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/14 "2008-07-12T08:36:40Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Ever play RTS games, or heck, even an intense board game with friends? IMO it’s the sheer mental concentration that is so tiring. [/QUOTE] Concur. I can sit at my desk for hours on end in a chair less comfortable than the driver’s seat because my brain’s not engaged. On the road, you can’t drift off and let your mind wander for more than a few seconds, otherwise you’ll be in a ditch. I’ve been in real pain when making a 90 minute drive at the end of a day, because I’m heading into the city and having to track the traffic around me is a serious trial. As you say, it’s the same with intense long-term gaming. I got _tired_ after about three hours of D&D, because my brain effectively ran at 100% CPU that entire time. I don’t think that hard at work, at least not constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/15 "2008-07-12T21:48:44Z")
I was wondering if I was tired by driving simply because I haven’t been doing it for very long. I still have a little trouble getting my seat and such in exactly the right position, and I find that my foot tends to cramp if I drive for long periods. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one tired by driving. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/16 "2008-07-12T23:04:07Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] Ever play RTS games, or heck, even an intense board game with friends? IMO it’s the sheer mental concentration that is so tiring. [/QUOTE] I also concur. And I’ll also add that you’re needing to concentrate on “something” that you don’t necessarily want to concentrate on. Unlike watching a movie or playing a game, you only chose to get to point B, not to have to worry about all the stuff that goes on on the road from when you left point A. But you have to anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/17 "2008-07-12T23:19:50Z")
I love driving. For me driving is meditation. I do share the perplexing phenomenon of being tired after a lot of it though, despite hardly moving a muscle. Lately my pleasure has been reduced by the problems with my new car. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/18 "2008-07-12T23:30:48Z")
I hear you **ralph124c**. . . When I was driving back and forth between Montana and North Dakota (10-hour trip), I learned real quick I needed some mental stimulation. So, I went out and bought some audio aviation cue generators for the cab of my pickup. At random intervals, I’ll get a loud “PULL UP!! PULL UP!!” or I’ll hear a loud ringing bell and an “ENGINE FIRE NUMBER THREE ENGINE FIRE NUMBER THREE.” and have to pull a handle or flip a switch to turn it off. It’s completely random, but it does get your attention damn quick. I used to have one that said “SAM SAM SAM!”, but the judge said I had to get rid of it. When I popped the chaff, the trucker behind me damn near ran me off the road. I mean, it was just shredded tin foil! No need to get all bent out of shape about it. :eek: Tripler Or maybe it was the flare I popped–melted a hole in his windshield. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/19 "2008-07-13T00:20:08Z")
[QUOTE=Tripler] So, I went out and bought some audio aviation cue generators for the cab of my pickup. At random intervals, I’ll get a loud “PULL UP!! PULL UP!!” or I’ll hear a loud ringing bell and an “ENGINE FIRE NUMBER THREE ENGINE FIRE NUMBER THREE.” and have to pull a handle or flip a switch to turn it off. It’s completely random, but it does get your attention damn quick. [/QUOTE] Where might I find one of these? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188/20 "2008-07-13T01:54:38Z")
[QUOTE=Lionne] [QUOTE=Tripler] I hear you **ralph124c**. . .I used to have one that said “SAM SAM SAM!”, but the judge said I had to get rid of it. When I popped the chaff, the trucker behind me damn near ran me off the road. I mean, it was just shredded tin foil! No need to get all bent out of shape about it. :eek: [/QUOTE] Where might I find one of these? [/QUOTE] Me too-I have a problem with road raging a-holes in their pickups which tailgate me 1/2 inch from my rear bumper. Tossing some countermeasures out there certainly couldn’t hurt (well not hurt _me_…). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-driving-a-car-so-tiring/456188.md?page=2)