Wealth Finance

If you’re planning any road trips this summer, you might find that some of the highway rest stops you count on for food, fuel, and a break from driving are no longer in operation.

As noted in our Safety Blog last year, eight states had shut down roadside rest stops due to fiscal belt tightening. Among them were Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, and Vermont, while Wisconsin cut staffing and North Carolina and South Carolina began reducing the days they remained open.

But more recently there’s been some good news. In June 2009, Virginia announced its state-run rest areas and welcome centers would be reduced from 42 to 23 in an effort to save $9 million annually; by February, the commonwealth began reopening all 19 facilities after the state DOT responded to a request from Gov. Bob McDonnell to reverse the decision. A similar revolt is occurring in Arizona, after a ruling to close 13 of that state’s 18 rest stops prompted a bill in the state legislature to overturn that decree.

Beyond the inconvenience, closed rest stops have serious implications for safety. A study [PDF] by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that drivers in sleep-related crashes reported being at the wheel for significantly longer periods before their accidents. The report cites National Transportation Safety Board statistics showing that driver fatigue results in 100,000 accidents and 1,500 fatalities nationwide each year.

So how can you prepare in advance if you’re concerned about rest stop closures? There isn’t a single database that provides updated listings, but you can find links to state highway departments on the Federal Highway Administration’s State Transportation Web Sites index. Search the sites to see if the states you’ll be traveling in have closed some rest areas. There’s also a Rest Area Finder iPhone app that may be of assistance on the road.

In addition, here’s some advice for safer road trips from the Consumer Reports auto team:

• Get adequate sleep before you get in the car.
• Take breaks, especially if driving a long distance.
• Swap driving dutuies with a travel companion.
• Avoid alcohol and/or medications that can cause drowsiness.
• If you feel tired, pull off the road and nap for 15-20 minutes.
• Caffeine may help, but can take some time to get into your system. And when it wears off, you might feel even more tired.
• Drink water to prevent dehydration, which can cause drowsiness. It also requires you to pull over regularly and stretch your legs for a bathroom break. Let’s hope those restrooms are open.

— William J. McGee

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