**The Dangers of Driving While Drunk: A Cautionary Tale**

As we sat at the starting line of our Motorway driving challenge, I couldn't help but think that our snoozy me and boozy Tiff were about to embark on a potentially disastrous adventure. The rules were simple: drive for 30 minutes without leaving your lane or speeding over 70mph, with an observer watching our every move. It was going to be a test of endurance, concentration, and above all, caution.

**The Challenges Ahead**

Tiff, my trusty sidekick, had been kept well-fed and hydrated throughout the day, while I was feeling decidedly unwell. My exhaustion was palpable, and even the simplest tasks seemed like monumental challenges. As we set off on our journey, I couldn't help but wonder if I would be able to stay awake for the entire 30 minutes. The motorway stretched out before us like a seemingly endless ribbon of white lines, each one taunting me with its monotony.

**The Effects of Highway Hypnosis**

As we hit the open road, I felt my eyelids growing heavy, my head nodding forward in an attempt to escape the tedium of our journey. It was as if the motorway itself was hypnotizing me, lulling me into a state of somnolence that seemed all too familiar. The accident statistics were stark: between 2 and 6 am, when biorhythms are at their natural low, drivers are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel, leading to potentially disastrous consequences.

**A Cautionary Tale**

As I drifted across the white lines three times during our journey, my speed wavering only nine times, it was clear that even with a healthy dose of caffeine, my reflexes were not what they used to be. It was a sobering reminder that driving while tired is just as deadly as driving while drunk. The Observer watched our every move, noting the subtle shifts in our behavior as we struggled to stay awake and focused.

**A Study in Contrasts**

While Tiff seemed to cruise along with ease, his attention never wavering from the road ahead, I was stuck in a cycle of fatigue that seemed impossible to shake. His lack of reaction time, exacerbated by the monotony of our journey, made me wonder how much more hazardous it would be to drive under the influence of caffeine rather than alcohol.

**The Morning After**

As we returned to base, Tiff's hangover was evident for all to see: a telltale sheen in his eyes, a sluggish demeanor that spoke volumes about the perils of excessive consumption. And yet, despite the dangers of driving while drunk, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for my boozy friend's ability to stay focused on the road ahead. Perhaps it was a case of "if I can do it, they can too," but one thing was certain: our journey had highlighted the very real risks of both driving while tired and driving while intoxicated.

**The Real Lesson**

In the end, our little experiment drove home a stark reality: driving while sleepy is far more hazardous than driving while slightly over the limit. It's a statistic that's been borne out by research, yet so many drivers still fail to realize the danger. As we reflected on our journey, it was clear that both Tiff and I had learned an important lesson about the perils of exhaustion behind the wheel.

**Conclusion**

Our Motorway driving challenge had been a sobering reminder of the dangers that lurk when fatigue gets in the way of our driving skills. While it may have been a thrilling experience for some, for us, it was a cautionary tale that would stay with us for a long time to come. So next time you're tempted to take a snooze at the wheel, remember: your safety is worth the sacrifice of getting a good night's sleep.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enin this episode of fifth gear We compare drunk driving to tired driving plus test drive the technology later mayback from Mercedes and take a look at the new BMW 5 series for 25 years we've been told that drink driving is a mugs game one in every six deaths on our roads is related to a driver being over the limit which makes that one for the road a sobering thought but there could be an even bigger Danger driving when you're tired we've all done it but we're taking a massive risk fifth gear however has a plan now there's reams of research on driving while you're drunk but actually very little on driving when you're exhausted So the plan is to compare the effects of fatigue versus alcohol could driving whilst tired be just as dangerous as driving Under the Influence to help us find out we've got some guinea pigs there's Adam Robertson a 25-year-old Ford Focus driver Lisa Clark business adviser at a bank and her husband Graham an engineer Emma crck is 25 and works in PR Steve James loves his Astra Coupe Turbo and Andy Radley is very big in amram plus we'll be putting ourselves to the test as well cheers join us in a moment to see Tiff and his team getting drunk and Quentin's lot staying up all night night then we'll put each of them in a car and put their driving to the test imagine your Mercedes luxury is what you do best but then you learn the arch Rivals BMW have bought one of the most opulent car names in the world Rolls-Royce and they've been busy working on the recently launched Phantom possibly the most luxurious car in the world yes yes Quinton the rose looks very nice just like your jacket and you really must lend me that CD of classical music sometime nice one anyway what did Mercedes do in reply well they dredged their corporate history and came up with this the Mayar well there are actually two mayks the Giant 62 and this compact 5.7 M version it weighs 3 tons comes with 550 horsepower and can be yours for just under a quar of a million and if you think that's enough stats just look what I've got to play with in here there are 100 different pieces of wood throughout the cabin and it's not of the fake variety apparently it takes 20 work stages to join millimet thick veneers with fine aluminium inlays before adding a final layer of cherry or walnut nice one only have the Germans wiped out loads of forests they've also killed plenty of cows too but what else do you get apart from wood and leather well there are two telephones there's a fridge very beneath here a cigar humidor down here somewhere to put the old champers and a couple of flutes for the lucky passenger a DVD player if I operate this button there's some Natty blinds behind me and there's a set of dials so you can keep a check on how the driver's doing plus there are 10 airbags a 600 W stereo system with 21 speakers and each seat has Dolby Surround Sound and if I delve down here there's also a table plus if you go for the longer stretch version which cost £265,000 you get a set of beds just like on a VW Camper hi caruma plus it gets even better every car comes with its own virtual Butler which you can call and use to book theater tickets Reserve Airline seats and anything else that's beneath you the Mayar is just as impressive for what you don't get as well as what you do get there's absolutely no road noise and it's so well insulated well we're in central London and all I can hear is the whisper of the air conditioning and there's not a peep from the engine and that is staggering because underneath this Bonnet is a 5.5 L V12 biturbo lump that has the highest torque and power output of any series production car but the really Bonkers bit is that engine will get all 2.7 tons of this car from not to 60 in 5 5.2 seconds 5.2 seconds that leaves the Phantom a whole half second behind so what do you think of that Rolls-Royce but don't be foed into thinking that a quarter of a million pounds suddenly entitles you to exclusivity apart from the stunning ride and that giant laxative of an engine lesser Mortals in their Merc s& classes can all buy into the Maybach 57s technology such as sensotronic brakes air suspension and voice activated controls for a fraction of the price which is annoying for this kind of money so what do we think of the May bark well for my money the 57 is a bit too much like a chunky S-Class orbe it a very good one if you want one of these cars however my advice is to go for the stretch 62 with everything on it because in that very special car Mercedes might just have something to make rolls-royce's eyes water we're back in investigating whether tired driving is as bad as drink driving we're not scientific but we are very curious It's 2: a.m. at this hotel in Bedford Quenton and his team have had a couple of hours sleep and now it's time for our Karen to wake him up two minutes just two morning morning good morning morning with 12 hours to go before the driving test no snoozing was allowed of course it's not just our Karen who could disturb your sleep anyone with a new baby knows you don't get a proper night's Kip for months working night shifts or returning from a long haul flight is equally disruptive drink driving may be socially unacceptable but driving whilst tired is sometimes unavoidable fast forward to lunchtime and I'm in the chair with one of the easier fifth gear assignments getting my team drunk everybody's alcohol tolerance is different and any amount of booze can affect your driving but in general the legal limit equates to a couple of pints for chaps or three small glasses of wine for the ladies we checked we were over the limit with these test yourself kits and isn't it amazing how hilarious tiny things are when you've had a few you look com dark green and you're over the limit so crunch time the driving on a specially designed route of twists and turns at milbrook with a cameraman in a sky crane watching every move move the idea is to stay between the lines avoid the awkwardly parked car and parallel park at the end this sober and well-rested Driver proved the course could be completed with no infringements and took 1 minute 28 seconds how would the rest of us compare first up the tired giddy pigs so how do you feel I feel perfectly fine woby legs a little bit but feeling pretty good I feel like I need to get the blood bank to get my eyes drained feel absolutely shattered Lisa may have looked pale and Dark Eyed but she drove pretty well she crossed a couple of lines and was 13 seconds slower than the Benchmark time but only because she made a meal of parking her hubby Graham was fine too although that's maybe because when it came to the parked car he cut the corner cheeky but hardly dangerous dous then it was Adam's turn whose tiredness did seem to affect his driving it wasn't long before a little tail sign sneaked in here get out me way that little Outburst is completely predictable when you're tired and ratty road rage is much more likely and when it came to the parking maneuver well bang goes his no claims bonus Temper Temper Adam time for the drunken guinea pigs no I'm feeling absolutely fine three PES have one more than maybe or maybe two more but I'm ready to drive R three or four and I'm perfectly all right yeah let's do it would you drive though would you drive no no I wouldn't what you've had now no I wouldn't I wouldn't drive I can drive but I wouldn't drive on the public road no but you don't actually feel that bad no not at all well we'll see Andy went first was very steady but found it hard to stay between the lines and he felt the need to talk all the time that make me dizzy no Jesus this would feel a lot better if I was so I gr that the parking maneuver went very well thank you till the end forgot to put the unbre on next up was Emma who was really trying to concentrate hard but she doled round in 1 minute and 53 seconds didn't make complete stops and was well over the line at the parked car then it was Steve's go once he realized the engine wasn't running that is Sir I've selected first gear look at this and uh it's come out we're getting no drive the engine off oh that would be one then wouldn't it it see seemed safe to say the alcohol had magnified his natural exuberance the stop signs tended to get overlooked the parked car was given a particularly wide birth and he didn't hold back on the revs and remember a few moments ago he told us he felt fine but it's not surprising booze makes you feel Invincible now we know it's unscientific but our results do tie in with other research the tire drivers only made minor errors and experts agree that constant stop start driving like this helps Stave off dozing whereas the drunk driver's judgment had obviously been affected and they made potentially much more dangerous mistakes interesting results but next up it's Tiff's and Quenton turn on the most dramatic test of all join us in a moment when we put one presenter who's shattered and one who's drunk through a Motorway drive at night something momentous is coming the most crucial new car of the year is about to be launched and it's impossible to overstate its importance some have hailed its arrival as tantamount to the second coming I couldn't wait to set eyes on it but when I did run it's a new BMW 5 Ser don't look at it my eyes run well I'm afraid my first impressions of the new Five series were less than positive Mr BMW claims styling like this will be all the rage in the future trouble is this is now somebody should tell BMW this isn't funny anymore it's all very well making the seven series look ugly because you're probably going to buy an S-Class MC or a Jag anyway thing is if you're going to make something as staggeringly important as the Five series look troubled you're going to start peeing people off the old Five series was 7 years old but still the Undisputed Champion of the World by rights this car should raise the bar even higher and annihilate the opposition instead Rivals are smelling blood I'll tell you why I think this looks funny the big bum they were thinking JLo I'm thinking Fat Farm I mean take a look at this Mr cameraman it's got loads of intersecting angles it looks like lots of cars all stuck together at once and excuse me see this this rear overhang well it's too long for the car it's too big for the size of wheel and it makes it look heavy as for this sued line that you can see running all the way down here where it's really heavy it drags the car down in profile makes it look too fat when you get to the front though well actually that's really cool come and have a look it's almost as if this car is wearing a giant pair of wraparound Shades very very funky very stylish but it's not enough to forgive that side profile by God this this thing is going to have to be good underneath just like ugly girls have to be dirty so what can stew it in sales withusing Tai boast about if his car hasn't got dazzling film style looks well managing to be bigger and lighter is a neat trick there's glorious build quality everywhere oh and the benefit of that big bum is a boot large enough for four golf bags if that doesn't impress your mates the options will like the 880 active steering which at speeds will give you full lock with just under a turn of the steering wheel u-turns are easy peasy the interior humidity is climate controlled preventing mucous membranes from going dry I eat your snot never goes crusty adaptive headlamps are 900 lb and link to the steering en light your way around corners a mere 35 years after the citen DS first thought of it now Keen viewers know how I find the iDrive system on the 7 Series d distracting well no such problems with the five it has a much simpler play school version with lots of lovely Graphics to help tune the radio or indeed warm the seats and coolest of all £900 will buy a head-up display like a real deal fighter pilot but are all these things a fish plot of smoke and mirrors distracting me from the key issue the five Series has always offered a consumate Driving Experience so does it still well the first thing to report is the sheer loveliness of this engine it's a 3 l straight six in this 530i and it's as smooth as buttered butter thing is it doesn't feel that fast but crucially it's smoother and more powerful than the V6 unit they put in the MK class you can get a 6-speed manual a six-speed automatic or an SMG semi-automatic paddle shift gearbox the there are a few more engines on the way though and the one to watch out for is the 500 horsepower V10 M5 which should put The Frighteners on things like Jets and slow missiles now this active steering that's so useful in car Parks gets much less sensitive when you go a bit faster thing is it takes some getting used to it doesn't feel particularly numb or artificial but you do know that something's going on it's linked to the stability control and if it senses the car might wag its tail applies a tiny amount of corrective steering to dampen the wiggle theoretically it means the DSC doesn't have to cut in so early and apply the brakes which keeps cornering much zooier but if all that sounds too intrusive fear not you can turn it off prices for the £ 530 will be around £30,000 when it arrives in September in a nutshell you have to say that even if it's not very pretty it is dead rainy look you got to ask yourself do you want to turn up to a party and say meet my wife I know I know she's really ugly but she is very clever or would you like to turn up to that same party and say meet my wife and yes she is a supermodel face it we're shallow people looks are everything and BMW well I'm not sure they've got it right ah but thing is a murky glass well it's plasticky and dead clinical inside a Jag well that's for Old Men and the A6 it's just old so are you going to buy a five well you are because BMW's got you over a barrel it's still the class leader this is cog the car ad unlike any other car ad that's made us forget in an instant vung du te technique perso in fields of flames Papa and Nicole it's currently entertaining the world in a commercial break near you and it's remarkable because there are no special effects or computer tricks involved it's all done for real a team of Engineers and sculptor stripped 200 h Accords to the Bare Bones chose 85 key components and then toiled on a script for a month after six more months of painstaking drawing and testing they were finally ready to film but all did not go according to plan just being a few millimeters out would ruin the momentum of the chain reaction and mean a complete reset in fact they went without sleep for 4 days doing 606 takes before everything finally worked as it should the best bits have to be the wheels that climb up hill thanks to precisely laid weights and the rain sensitive wipers that crab across the floor critics are sure that despite its relatively low 750,000 cost Cog will sweep the board at the forthcoming advertising Awards and debate over its inspiration is already raging was it the board game mouse trap or was it a little known Swiss animated film either way who'd have thought all those trendy advertising execs will get so excited by Humble transmission bearings who do they think they are the mg Owners Club we revealed earlier that around a twisty route driving well Tire didn't seem as bad as driving well drunk but now there's a harder test a Motorway at night how will the monotony of Mile after mile affect a snoozy me and a boozy Tiff we'll each spend 30 minutes lapping the closed bowl at milbrook with an observer watching our every move the challenge to stay within one lane and maintain a speed of between 60 and 70 mph I would go first and having peaked and troughed all day was definitely at a low EB with the Observer aboard it's that man again we were on our way um quite surprised how knacked actually I am I'm so tired I'm having to wear my glasses which I never ever do and already I can feel it I mean I just don't know where I'm going and I'm just following the white lines wanting this to be over as quickly as possible so-called highway hypnosis is most likely to occur between 2 and 6:00 a.m. when your biorhythms are at a natural low the accidents are potentially much worse because the driver sleep at the wheel simply won't break before a crash so the impacts are much faster so what should you do try and uh take uh one or two cups of uh coffee caffeinated coffee or a caffeinated drink uh and uh caffeine takes about 20 minutes to have an effect so you have an opportunity there for doing something else and that something else should be take a quick nap just settle back in your car seat lock the car make sure you're safe and shut your eyes for 10 to 15 minutes even though you're not necessarily sleeping to shut and resting your eyes having a quick dis that is effective it's far better to do that whilst the coffe is kicking in than going for fresh air or exercise or take a break in other ways during my 30 minutes I drifted across the white lines three times and my speed wavered sign ific anly nine times and I hadn't a clue then it was Tiff's turn we'd kept him topped up all day and checked he was just over the legal limit it's minus three minus three attention it is essential that you read the instructions Highway code takes precence and with those thoughts ringing in his ears we sent him away now of course I know I'm over the limit and yet somehow I feel very able to drive it's quite frightening I feel fine I could just ease the speed up go for a nice long cruise which is exactly what he did and seemed to keep an active mind the whole time where's the clock in this car his headlights are rubbish I remember when I was breaking the speed record for comic relief at 200 mph in a McLaren took about 39 seconds and now it's taking 2 minutes temperature's gone up from -3 to -2 so it's getting warmer Tiff drove perfectly in terms of steering a steady course and speed it was an error-free performance but even I'm over the limit I know my reactions probably aren't very good but just cruising concentrating I can do it but I still wouldn't have dared drive on the the public road I was fine on my own but I couldn't be sure how well I'd be able to react if there was other traffic around me driving steep is probably worse than driving uh over the limit in fact uh we think from the research we've done here that more people are killed in our roads in this country through falling as sleep with the wheel than being over the limit with alcohol we all Drive sleepy and we've all had experience of doing that people just don't realize that is far more dangerous to drive while sleepy than actually slightly over the limit so it's the morning after he smells like a brewery and has a jackhammer hangover and he's been yawning his head off all the time but what have we learned well it's important to say that we haven't exactly done this with the rigors of science but there's no doubt that driving whil drunk on the city course led to some dangerous overe exuberance but I know that if IID had to go around that ball for another 10 minutes I would have started to snore crashed and died so the next time someone says to me I can't drive because I'm exhausted I won't be calling them a fairy because I'll know exactly how dangerous it really is\n"