A Guide on Essentials of a Long Drive

[watashi75]

If we keep it beneath the seats isn't there a chance it might roll out? I have seen some cab guys attach holders in C pillar or passenger side A pillar and keep the extinguishers there. How about the foot rest space on the passenger's side?

[babe_on_wheels]

Well a few essentials we havent discussed when travelling with a furry friend!

1. When travelling long distance with a pet always make sure One carries a medium sized bowl if our friend gets thirsty or hungry.

2. Make regular pitstops for nature calls for our furry friends just like we need to answer the calls ourselves.
The last thing one needs to do is travel in a car laced with Stench for a long distance. And not be able to put the AC on!

3. When feeding your Pet make sure its not a heavy meal like otherwise as they tend to get motion sickness more than we do!

4. Pay a hundred bucks extra in a lodge/hotel to accomodate our dear friend because most of them will not comply. So make sure they are ok and take responsibility for the behaviour of our mutt!

5. Give him a chance to put his/her head out from time to time to catch a breath of fresh air! Nothing beats the charm of Wind in the Fur (Hair) Feeling!

6. Needless to say but importantly carry a car freshner. He he!

Rest assured our pooches are also happy just like us wagging their tails at the thought of a Long drive!

P.s.- As with regards to road thugs or thieves our homely securtiy is with us! So have no fear our dyno-mutt is here with us!

[goandude]

Originally Posted by babe_on_wheels

!

5. Give him a chance to put his/her head out from time to time to catch a breath of fresh air! Nothing beats the charm of Wind in the Fur (Hair) Feeling!

We have this white apsoe terrier cross. travelling bangalore goa in Sep 07, raining on and off and had to hurry as i didnt want to drive in the dark. furry friend loves to put his head out of the window. on reaching goa found white dog with brown head. the spray from the tyres did the colour job.

[roamingrao]

OT - Read this in a health magazine and thought would be appropriate here.


copied text -

Love Energy Drinks? You May Have a Change of Heart

By Kelley Herring

Do you reach for a Red Bull for an afternoon pick-me-up? After reading this (or drinking that), you may have a change of heart.
A recent study conducted at Adelaide University found that people who regularly drank sugar-free Red Bull had a cardiovascular profile similar to that of people with heart disease. In fact, they found that drinking just one sugar-free Red Bull increased the "stickiness" of the blood and raised the risk of blood clots.
So what causes this? The main ingredients in Red Bull are taurine (an amino acid), glucuronolactone (a normal human metabolite), caffeine, and B vitamins. And the diet version - the one used in this study - is sweetened with sucralose and aspartame.
To beat mid-day fatigue, make sure you stay properly hydrated throughout the day. And enjoy organic green or white tea, lightly sweetened with all-natural stevia. It's calorie-free too, packed with antioxidants and actually good for your heart.

end of text

[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by lapsi

2. Twilights are also extremely dangerous. The natural light is not enough and your lights do not perform. There are a couple of things which you can do. They are:
One is to depend more on the natural light.
Second is to drive carefully/slowly.

In the mornings turn off your lights at twilight and drive slowly till you get normal daylight. At nights delay switching on your lights as long as you can see with the natural light. Turn on your lights once it is sufficiently dark for your lights to perform.

I agree with all the points you have written down except for the 2nd one.

Twilights are extremely dangerous. The natural light is not enough and your lights do not perform. So, you will have to be extremely careful.

Please switch on your headlights and keep it in the low beam even if you can see in natural light. Never switch off the headlights.

In the mornings do not turn off your lights at twilight. Keep them on till the daylight is sufficient to render the headlights useless.

At nights never delay switching on your lights at twilight

The objective in switching on the lights at twilight is not for you to see but for other vehicles to see you. Your eyesight may be good and you can see the road in front of you, but there are other people who may not be able to see your vehicle in the twilight. The color of your car might blend in with the background and it will become almost invisible to the average human eye. For example a grey car might blend in with the colour of the road.

Also when you switch on the lights at twilight, the light will ensure smooth transition for your eyes from natural light to artificial light.

This is my view of the issue. Any corrections/clarifications/suggestions are always welcome

[recker_us]

I was stuck last night around 10kms from Srirangapatnam on the way to bangalore. My alto was getting overheated and refused to move. It was scary being stuck for half an hour in the dark with wifey and kids.
When the engine cooled down a bit, I managed to drive down to Mandya. We found that the radiator had a leakage after travelling the horrible stretch to Brindavan gardens near mysore. All the coolant had drianed out.

So, a good samartian qualis driver asked us to get some soap. The radiator leak was temporarily plugged using a toilet soap. We filled in fresh coolant and distilled water from the nearby petrol bunk and could drive all the way down to Bangalore by 1:30.

Moral of story: Prefer soap bar over paper soaps if you are going for a long trip.

[arijit72]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

a) Most of the bus\truck drivers who are going at constant speeds keep their right indicator blinking, this means that the person from behind may not need to honk & can simply overtake that bus\truck

b) Never overtake any vehicle without getting a clear signal from him the signal could be either a right go ahead signal or a right indicator, he may also ask you not to overtake & that could be due to various reasons such as an oncoming vehicle, he might himself be trying to overtake a vehicle in front of it

Please forgive my dumbness -

I have a small confusion about the signalling mentioned above. See, I'm sort of new on the Indian roads. But it seems that the signalling is sort of other way round compared to what they do in Europe, especially UK. I've driven extensively on the UK roadways, and there, when the front vehicle whom you want to overtake doesn't want to give you the way (for whatever reason - may be there's an oncoming vehicle) he'll give a right signal - as if he's changing to the right lane. So you don't overtake him. When the coast is clear, he'll give a left indicator, as if he is going towards the shoulder - means you can safely overtake him.

In here, the vehicle in front will signal right is he is allowing you to overtake, and left otherwise - am I correct in understanding this?



Regards
Arijit

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by arijit72

Please forgive my dumbness -

I have a small confusion about the signalling mentioned above. See, I'm sort of new on the Indian roads. But it seems that the signalling is sort of other way round compared to what they do in Europe, especially UK. I've driven extensively on the UK roadways, and there, when the front vehicle whom you want to overtake doesn't want to give you the way (for whatever reason - may be there's an oncoming vehicle) he'll give a right signal - as if he's changing to the right lane. So you don't overtake him. When the coast is clear, he'll give a left indicator, as if he is going towards the shoulder - means you can safely overtake him.

In here, the vehicle in front will signal right is he is allowing you to overtake, and left otherwise - am I correct in understanding this?



Regards
Arijit

Welcome to the land of the confused drivers, dude!
Well, out here, when the truck driver signals a right turn, he could either be turning right, or giving you a free hand to overtake. It could be either of them, and the risk of interpretation is entirely yours .
However, I've never seen a trucker giving a left signal unless he really wanted to turn left.
On the contrary, I've seen some cars (mostly in Vizag) putting on their hazard lights at traffic signals to indicate that they want to go straight. Is this the practice in other cities too?

[arijit72]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

On the contrary, I've seen some cars (mostly in Vizag) putting on their hazard lights at traffic signals to indicate that they want to go straight. Is this the practice in other cities too?

That's a news to me - I've never seen such practice anywhere. Rather in Kolkata, you'd have to be careful with the signalling - coz often you'd see cars going in the direction opposite to the signal, or just climbing on you without any signal at all

Originally Posted by vnabhi

However, I've never seen a trucker giving a left signal unless he really wanted to turn left.

About the truckers signalling left to let you overtake - I first saw it in Sctoland, and then asked a friendly trucker at a rest area - who told me the idea behind it. Later on, I confirmed it with an AA guy too.

Arijit

[JK Rao]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Welcome to the land of the confused drivers, dude!
----
On the contrary, I've seen some cars (mostly in Vizag) putting on their hazard lights at traffic signals to indicate that they want to go straight. Is this the practice in other cities too?

That's the reason why i have put "NO AC ONLY HAND SIGNAL" on the rear of my car....

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by JK Rao

That's the reason why i have put "NO AC ONLY HAND SIGNAL" on the rear of my car....

Laughing my guts out, that is some hilarious tag Not a bad punchline to put at the rear of the car

[Surprise]

Is it necessary to carry original documents of car?

Is it necessary to carry original licenses?

If photocopy is enough, does it needs to be attested by the owner of the car (if the owner is not part of the gang)

Which is advisable- Long drive check up of car and service after the trip or service before the trip (2-3 days in advance)

Air pressure need to be 1-2 PSI lower or higher? or the regular psi should do

At what interval the air needs to be rechecked (say 400 kms once)

[abhinav.gupta88]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Is it necessary to carry original documents of car?

Is it necessary to carry original licenses?

If photocopy is enough, does it needs to be attested by the owner of the car (if the owner is not part of the gang)

Which is advisable- Long drive check up of car and service after the trip or service before the trip (2-3 days in advance)

Air pressure need to be 1-2 PSI lower or higher? or the regular psi should do

At what interval the air needs to be rechecked (say 400 kms once)

Its better to keep the originals to be safe about it.
Driving license needs to be original
RC can be duplicate ( if not the Smart Card , Smart Card needs to be original)

Its better to get the service before the trip, so you can be assured that problems are not there in the car and you can drive peacefully.

I usually keep tyre pressure regular and check every 250 kms ( Personal Choice)

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Is it necessary to carry original documents of car?

Is it necessary to carry original licenses?

If photocopy is enough, does it needs to be attested by the owner of the car (if the owner is not part of the gang)

Which is advisable- Long drive check up of car and service after the trip or service before the trip (2-3 days in advance)

Air pressure need to be 1-2 PSI lower or higher? or the regular psi should do

At what interval the air needs to be rechecked (say 400 kms once)

I always carry my originals - RC Book, Driving License, PUC Certificate and Insurance Policy. I also keep a back-up photocopy.

If you are not the owner, and driving a SUV, you always run the risk of being harassed by cops on the pretext that you are a taxi, with private number plates, and not having a commercial driving license. No attestation by owner is required, anyone can drive the car, not just the owner.

I always get teh vehicle checked and repaired at least 7-10 days before the trip so that no last-minute workmanship problems turn up, and also that I have enough time for a second visit to the workshop, if need be. Give special attention to things like wheel alignment because a faulty job can ruin your tyres even on a 500-km trip.

I always keep tyre pressure below manufacturer specs, normally 2 pts below.

I never check en route air pressure since the heated air inside the tyres on the run can cause distorted and imbalanced tyre inflation. And if I have to, I check within 5 kms of running the car (unless it is a very cold morning), once the ambient temperature is reached, and only in the auto air pumps.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

I agree with all the points you have written down except for the 2nd one.

Twilights are extremely dangerous. The natural light is not enough and your lights do not perform. So, you will have to be extremely careful.

Please switch on your headlights and keep it in the low beam even if you can see in natural light. Never switch off the headlights.

In the mornings do not turn off your lights at twilight. Keep them on till the daylight is sufficient to render the headlights useless.

At nights never delay switching on your lights at twilight

The objective in switching on the lights at twilight is not for you to see but for other vehicles to see you. Your eyesight may be good and you can see the road in front of you, but there are other people who may not be able to see your vehicle in the twilight. The color of your car might blend in with the background and it will become almost invisible to the average human eye. For example a grey car might blend in with the colour of the road.

Also when you switch on the lights at twilight, the light will ensure smooth transition for your eyes from natural light to artificial light.

This is my view of the issue. Any corrections/clarifications/suggestions are always welcome

The reason for delaying the swithing on of headlights at dusk (and driving slow) is to prevent 'tunnel vision'. If you switch on your headlights before it is fully dark, your eyes instinctively focus on the brightest part of the beam which is very narrow. Once it is darker outside, the full sweep of the headlamps are seen and there is some modicum of peripheral vision.

Pilots are also discouraged from switching on their landing lights early, since once the lights go on - one's vision is restricted to the space that is lit up.