- While driving at night, don't directly look onto the headlights of the oncoming vehicles (especially trucks), the glare may temporarily cause a blackout/hamper the vision. Focus your eyes on the road and stay clear.
- While driving around twilight (evening times when its neither day nor night) drive with the parking lights on, it gives a better visibility to others around. Also this is the time when visibilty/judgement can get hampered (due to low contrast), incidently I've observed most people speed up around twilight (maybe thinking that - oh its getting dark! let me clear as much as possible before its dark) >>Originally Posted by Jaggu >>When speeding up once you enter highway from city, try increasing the speed in smaller increments >>(say 10 kph every 2 kms), so that your body/physical system also adjusts. Same while entering >>slower city traffic, your system will take it as "ok" to maintain the speed and your brain will >>have to force kill the command.
The above tip is very important, it takes time for the body to adjust to variation in speeds, so give ample time to adjust.
Its better to start a long-long trip slow and steady, drive at normal speeds through the city, take it easy increase the speed very gradually around the suburbs reaching your regular highway speeds liesurely. Even the passengers will not feel the transition from slow to fast that way. Sudden variation in speeds increases anxiety levels.
Also while nearing destination, or passing through towns on the way, one has to consciously come out of the comfort zone (fast mode) and decide to reduce the speed.
- While driving over curvy winding roads, its better to always make it a practice to stick to the left lane and honk. Its always un-nerving to find someone on the wrong side of the road or even overtaking just around a blind corner.
- Its better to maintain higher averages over long stretches rather than rely peak speeds, overspeeding and overtaking for short stretches doesn't really help to cover distances during a long drive. One has to be consistent and rely on maintaining averages.
- Before overtaking trucks or any heavy vehicle, always sound horn once to let the driver know of your presence. It minimizes the risk of the vehicle swerving while the overtaking is happening.
- As mentioned in earlier posts in this thread, its important to maintain a safe (comfortable breaking) distance from the vehicle ahead.
For some reason if the vehicle ahead stops abruptly, better sound horn as you slow down just to alert the driver behind from becoming aware that you are stopping and minimize risk of him rear-ending you.
- Always check tyre pressure before a long drive, never under-inflate the tyres, less PSI than normal willl cause the tyre to get overheated due to constant tyre-sidewall compression/flexing that could lead to a blowout.
Either fill in the normal recommended PSI or 1 or 2 PSI above normal is also fine.
Rule is, Never fill less than normal PSI.
- Maybe slightly OT, Be prompt to replace bald Tyres, Tyres are the only part in contact with the road and it has to be able to grip the road well. Check Tyres and never think twice about cost and replace them promptly if they are worn out. (Even if the tread is good, replace them if they are more than 5 years old)
- Contrary to popular belief, if you are replacing two tyres with new ones, put the new tyres at the back wheels. ( Most tyre shops would suggest to put the two new tyres in front and the old ones at the back This is an unsafe practice and could potentially cause a rear spinout during cornering on a slippery/wet surface and difficult to regain control. Rule is, its easier to regain control from a frontal tyre slippage rather than a rear slippage)
- Never go beyond 60-70 kmph on a rainy Indian highway, Contrary to personal confidence of doing higher speeds, experience will teach how easy it is to lose traction of the road and go sliding like a carrom board -striker on account of a slightest braking, if the speed is higher on a rainy day.
- In a situation where there is just space for a single vehicle to pass and say a truck in front flashed his light and comes ahead, just stay where you are or stay clear and let the truck pass. If one moves ignoring the flash, Truck drivers usually will not stop if they have started coming in with the light flashing, potentially dangerous for anything that would come in way.
- Following a heavy vehicle closely like a truck or Bus is dangerous as it hampers visibility and also opposite vehicles tend to cut in after passing the truck coming directly on our path. Its better to maintain a lot of distance if following a heavy vehicle.
Last edited by for_cars1 : 8th May 2009 at 03:16.
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