[Seventhgear]

With no offense to anyone, I feel the early twenties aint the age to rip the indian highways.Experience does count as is judgement.It includes for seeing the road ahead and what obstacles we can expect.

Slowing down near villages,near exit lanes,entry lanes,slowing taking the outside lane in blind bends etc are some points that might help.

Even though we do have four lanes nowadays one cannot be sure what will turn up round the corner.I personally have found people coming on full speed on a blind corner on a four lane which has led me to loose my composure more than once.

Driving on indian roads is a skill and it applies to our highways too.100 + speeds are desirable but off late they stress out the driver as he has to concentrate a lot on the road rather than enjoy the ride.I cant think of anyway out of this except to keep one's eyes peeled on the road for every dog,cow,drunkard,dhoomsters etc.

As for new drivers ,i feel they should know their vehicle first and what it is capable of.One has to know about once responses during braking and of the car too.Knowing our vehicles response time helps a lot during untoward situation especially hard braking.May be keeping between the range of 80-100kph might help till one is capable of managing the raging speed hormones.

[speedsatya]

With 3L + kms over 14 years of driving interstate on our highways , I can confidently say 80 kph is the best speed to maintain. Many a times you will see someone overtake you at almost double your speeds only to see the same car right in front of you at the next toll booth or at the next junction.

With the kind of idiots we see on our roads , anything above 80 kph is just useless.

I am sure you know this , but let me reiterate that simply sticking to 80 kph doesn't make you a safe driver.

Sticking to lane disciplines , maintaining your car in road worthy condition , use of mirrors , understanding your car limitations , love for others' vehicles also the same way as your own and using some common sense is equally important when driving on the road.

YouTube has helped me in being a safe driver. Watching those DVR sourced accident videos helps educate on safe driving techniques.

Another tip I always give beginners is to assume everyone else on the road is an idiot and hence practise defensive driving




Sent from my mobile phone , please excuse typos

[paragsachania]

Having driven various sectors of our highways in the past few years, I am too of opinion that the speeds between 90-110KMPH is the best cruising speed:

• Enough time to assess and take a corrective action
• Takes less toll on your body over a very long run
• You brake at 120-130kmph to slow down to 50s- You can spot huge eye balls in the IRVM, you do the same at 80kmph, they may not even know
• Easy on pocket as it returns one of the best Fuel Efficiency
• Most of the cars (No supercars here!) would be happier to perform and lead good quality life for years when driven at these speeds
• Its only your right leg plays with the throttle at these speeds: ease a bit to slow down, press a bit to gain up at these speeds - You may never need to apply brakes or shift down unless its a toll booth
• Above all, this significantly avoids incidents of road rage - Remember that someone may get intimidated when they see you zipping past them and may get into a drag race but no one will bother if you pass them at usual speeds (Lets not now say what if the other car is at 40 and I overtake at 80 and he thinks the same)

I have clocked more Kms on the WagonR with typical cruising speeds between 90-110kmph than the Ertiga and I agree with many that end of the day, your average speeds remain almost the same primarily due to the above reasons and your breaks and toll booths. Though its a known fact that the Ertiga can manage better cruising speeds with ease, somehow my driving always settles to these speeds no matter what car I am driving. It always provides a sense of confidence and ease to drive.

You would agree to this when you spot the same car that zipped past you waiting at the toll booth right ahead/next to you.

I also don’t deny that I may have driven at higher speeds but the experience is quite instant as soon as you get down for the next coffee break – Your Body tells you about it!

That said, there are innumerable stretches on Indian roads where it is always saner to drive at slower speeds, say 80-90kmph:

• Newer roads, driving for the first time
• Sudden appearance of Village and town areas
• Unknown Puncture in the medians
• Brand new speed breaker which got unveiled a few hours before
• Assorted Traffic patterns and their density on highways – Trucks, Buses, Tempos, 3 Wheelers, 2 Wheelers
• Availability of service roads – This at least makes main corridor less vulnerable
• Cattles and Pedestrians

Knowing the traffic pattern takes less than 5 kms of driving and this also helps in assessing safer speeds to driver -

• Way people react to overtaking attempts – Some may stick to the median, some might move left, some may even speed up
• A locally registered Bus or a truck is likely to stop abruptly than you can expect – Buses all over Kerala, trucks carrying sand and construction materials, A typical Tata ACE or a 3 Wheeler rickshaw all over GJ and UP
• A super long container truck, other long haul trucks are safer and much patient than you think
• Whether it’s a weekday with regular traffic or weekend with Holidaying traffic (They are very impatient lot on highways during return)

Apart from that, driving at nights on the stretches that you have done before on a regular basis can get you one of the best average speeds:

• Absence of a lot of miscellaneous traffic
• Headlamp flashing is mightier than honking (when overtaking)
• Driving during Odd hours or days also helps you a lot to cover maximum distance without speeding:
• Staring at 4am
• Continue to drive during popular lunch hours (12:30PM – 3:00PM) as most private traffic would have stopped for lunch
• Target reaching destination after 12 midnight by which many jams would have cleared and traffic would be free flowing
• Ensure never to drive when trucks are let loose into the city – Every chance that you will get stuck during the last 100 kms before your destination

[Wanderers]

Hi All,

My experience is based on numerous drives on Baroda-Ahmedabad Expressway & 4-5 drives on Yamuna Expressway.

It important to maintain decent speed, keep it constant & steady. At the end you will note that guys doing high speed did not gain any major distance. They may be sooner by 5-10 mins or so per 100 KM.

It can be proven by Mathematical calculation as well.

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by devansn

In my experience, speeds over 100 kmph would not effectively increase the average speed on a typical 4-lane-divided Indian highway unless you are driving on one having very sparse traffic.

I did a Coimbatore-Bangalore-Coimbatore recently. As usual, I started both the journeys early in the morning - 3:30 AM. Traffic was similar on both days. And there was not even single break in both cases - drove more than 5 hours continuously both ways.

- I was hitting very high speeds quite often and was trying to maintain above 100-120 kmph almost always - onward journey.

- While coming back I drove sedately - mostly in the 90-100 range and going above 110 very rarely.

The total travel time was mostly equal. Added benefits? Coimbatore-Bangalore gave me 15.5 kmpl and Bangalore-Coimbatore, close to 21 kmpl. Also, the latter was literally fatigue-less.

+1

The more you go faster, you have to be spot on with your concentration. This will create mental fatigue. A small error on your part will be a major disaster. I agree with what you have mentioned.
Moreover on our highways it is difficult to stick to say 120 kmph for a considerable period of time due to various factors like slow moving vehicles ahead of you, vehicles coming from the cross road, people driving on the wrong side.

[nutmello]

With a little more than 7 lakh km of driving without a single accident or fine from traffic cops all over the country, my advise is 70-80 kmph is the safe zone on our highways. In fact our high ways are also designed for this speed zone only. You will not only have have correct reaction time but also visibility will be far better. Many Blr-Mys high way users might have noticed the speed limit sign saying [30]kmph just before we enter Mandya town coming from bangalore. so within village limits, better slow down. we must always remember the trauma we may have to go thro if we are caught in high way accidents.

[amartyasg]

A few things I have learnt in the short time that I have been driving:
Look well ahead when driving: Some people have a habit of looking at the car right in front, or tailgating too closely to notice what is happening ahead. That can be very dangerous. You should be reacting to the conditions of the road, and not to the car in front.
Be aware of your car's constraints: Know your stopping distances on various surfaces and conditions, and get a feel for how much time and distance it will take you to react and stop/swerve for an obstacle. That should dictate your speed more than anything else.

I think more than the absolute numerical speed, the best cruising speed is when you are going with the flow of traffic, and feel comfortable and relaxed doing so. 100 kmph is merely a number, and whether its the right speed depends on too many other factors.

[isiv]

As few others have mentioned, there is no hard and fast rule on the max speed or min speed (within the bounds of law) which you can follow and expect guaranteed safety. Only you can decide at what speed you feel completely in control of your vehicle.

Driving slow is NOT necessarily safe. In general it's safer if you can maintain the same speed as traffic around you. E.g. I tend to get less attentive with peripheral vision getting less sensitive as I drive slower - most of my smaller bumps and nicks occurred when I was driving slower than usual. So do the take time to figure out what style suits you best.

Please also be open to accepting it if you realize long distance driving is not for you and give it up. You will place many lives including your own in that much lesser danger.

Exhaustive by no measure, but here's a laundry list:
1. Avoid night driving AFAP. I know drivers who believe night driving is safer, but I do not subscribe to that.
2. Increase speed in proportion to how far ahead you can see (again within the limits of law and your machine). Never assume the road beyond that blind curve 'will be free' or some creature (human or otherwise) isn't suddenly going to spring from the thick foliage on the road divider.
3. When approaching villages/towns, look at the speedo to tell you how fast you're going and slow down accordingly. After a long fast stretch, there is a tendency to underestimate speed.
4. Important as it is to keep your eyes on the road ahead, glance every once in a while at your mirrors to know what's going on behind you. If that big SUV that was in your mirror couple of secs ago suddenly disappears, chances are it's is right next to you in your blind spot.
5. Leave your ego home before getting into the car.
6. Try to avoid music. Movies are obviously out of the question. Passengers could do those as long as they use earphones and not seated next to you. And no kids on the front seat either.
7. Stop for a break at the slightest sign of fatigue/attention fading. I generally break every 1.5 to 2 hrs, set alarms for meal times and drink plenty of water
8. I believe we all are on the forum because we love our machines and will probably never have them uncared for, but still - pay attention to things like air pressure, fluid levels, brakes, lights, toolkit & spares, cleanliness etc. Do these regularly, and you're ever prepared - whether the drive is planned or totally unexpected.

I could go on and on, but this should be enough for a jumpstart. Good luck and happy driving!

[SRKHYD]

Nice discussion !

This happened two days before. I was driving at @ 90 kmph on a 4 lane highway and a village junction came. Slowed down to ~70 kmph. Suddenly there was some urgency from a auto driver and I had to slow down to 30 kmph. Meantime a dog crossed all of us, probably thinking we all stopped and dog's little fella started following his mother. Thank god that we all slowed to 30 - all stopped. All were safely through - Mother's day effect

My 2 cents on the discussion would be this question:
"What is the speed on the road you would feel more comfortable with?" If you are crossing that 'self' limit, I guess there is no point hitting 100+

[aniketi]

I generally maintain 80 KMPH. Advantages:

1 Safety: You are in complete control of the car for any unexpected things happening in front of you.
2 Enjoyment: As you are in control, you can enjoy scenery around our highways. I always listen good music while on highways, keep your mood good
3 Better FE: By doing constant 70-80 speed, you get the best average. I normally gets 18+ in my Dzire with AC.

Whenever you are at crossing or at village road, reduce speed to less than 50 KMPH. Its always better.

Drive slow, drive better !!! Enjoy your driving

[microaubin]

Speed limits and huge signboards displaying alerts are there for a reason, so as responsible citizens we should stick to it. Now with all the speed cams being put in place we will be more careful and forced to be responsible.

-Safety first. You are responsible for your car and its occupants. So drive only in speeds at which you feel comfortable.

- Always drive with keeping enough distance between the car in front depending upon your speed.

-Keep a check on your rear view and side view mirrors to be aware of your immediate surroundings.

-Always use side indicators while changing lanes. Do not make sudden movements and display fancy overtaking maneuvers.

- Keep setting a pace where you and your passengers are most comfortable and relaxed. This reduces strain and driver fatigue and also helps you enjoy your car.

-And lastly be ALERT at all times. On the highway there are a lot of uncontrollable pieces on the board. So look out for them since at very high speeds these can be fatal.

[kaushik51094]

Hi mate,
Good to find someone of approx. my age (i'm 19 BTW) in Team-bhp! I'm not a highly experienced driver, but have done my own share of highway trips, the best being my drive from cbe to tirupur.

IMO, in dual lane highways, it is best to restrict speed below 100kmph except while short bursts for overtaking. The max speed i've ever driven at is 130kmph during my trip to tirupur. But, trust me, the road was so damn good. It was kind of a slope so you could see the amount of traffic and if there were any broken bits of dividers. The road itself was three or four-laned (one side itself, though it wasn't marked) with a solid divider in the middle. In such roads, almost all cars travel at such speeds and you can just follow them at the same speed with a safe distance (say 50-100 metres) and anticipate for them to brake at any moment.

Now there may be many who say tailgating is wrong, but following them at such a safe distance IMO is not tailgating. It is good for your car too and will induce less stress while driving as per my experience. Although beware, you may lose concentration/slow down your reflexes if you follow someone for a very long time.

It's best not to focus on speeds outside city limits. There won't be many cops and you'll find that almost all people travel at a safe speed. IMO, it's best to stick to the speed with which the moving traffic is driving.

[nakul0888]

I agree with what everybody else here has to say.

But I would also like to add that the type of car one is driving is also a determining factor for the "optimum speed".

An example:

I mean 100 kph in a Brio and 100 kph in a BMW will not be the same experience.

In the Brio the engine will be screaming its head off at 4000 rpm while in the BMW then engine will be barely doing 1200 rpm.

So in the brio the sensation of speed is going to be far greater and you have to be an excellent driver to drive it at its limits. (I usually chicken out after 90 kph)

In the BMW it will be a far more relaxing experience. To the other road users you maybe roaring ahead but whats actually happening is that you are simply cruising with your foot barely touching the throttle. Also the BMW has the brakes to match the power.

So you see 100 kph is a much relaxed experience in one car while in the other its a roller coaster ride. So its much safer to drive the smaller car at much slower speeds.

Warning: This does not mean that if you have got a BMW you can drive without paying attention to the road ahead or drive like a complete lunatic.

[Ashokkp]

Mod Note : Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[MRAMAB]

with all said above- having done a few thousands KM myself i always keep a few things in mind when driving on the Highways-

1. Know your vehicle and its capabilities, the necessary breaking distance, the acceleration time, handling e.t.c. Never try over speeding in a car you are not used to or driving for the first time.

2. Know the road- It is very common that after driving about a 100 km on a highway and you come up on a small village/ town e.t.c. you tend to maintain the same speed which you need to consciously avoid. Some highways have speed breakers so maintain a speed where you can anticipate them, expect tractors, two wheeler s on coming on the wrong side maintain a good distance from the edges of the road.

3. Assess your capability-Know what you can handle and what you cannot and make sure to stick to it.

Few lessons that i learnt-
Maintaining a healthy speed of 80 to 100 constant gave me a up to 4-5 km pl higher FE.
Expect the unexpected, always be ready to handle any situation.
Make sure the passengers are comfortable with high speeds.
Try the no brake driving-He he before you jump to conclusions it means know the distance of whats ahead of you and remove your foot from the accelerator so the car automatically slows down with engine braking.
Never Never shift to Neutral at high speeds cos its a slope, can lose control very quickly.
At night go at a decent speed, 80 kph is what i usually maintain.

After all of the said above i never shy away from trying to test the max speed of my car when i see a good stretch.