[poised2drive]

Originally Posted by navin

Thad, It's not just audio, people have died from any number of distractions (in-car and out-car).

In the old days we used to make our own mix of songs on tape, today we have "play lists" of MP3s. I set my Playlist before I start my driving (just like I wear my seat belt and check my rear view mirrors before I start my journey) be it dropping my son to school or a longer drive. It is called discipline.

Exactly !

This is a ritual I follow before I start the car.

In addition to setting up the playlist and connecting the Bluetooth'ed' HU to Mobile, I also have to switch on the Android turned Dashcam and open the app!

It takes 2 to 3 minutes to finish these tasks and many a time, I was asked to start the car as one can do all these while driving which I vehemently oppose and start giving them a lecture about Road Safety !

It is quite surprising that most of the us are always in hurry but few of us are punctual.

[Aakarsh]

Originally Posted by Ryuu

Every single time. I don't give a damn who says what while I'm driving. They need to tell me a KM early where I need to take the turn or stop. Otherwise, I'm deaf. I'll rather take an long U-turn than abruptly stop in the middle and create confusion on the road.

Hello Ryuu!

That's a good practice which you have adopted.

But we can't control our reflexes, right? What I mean to say that is suppose if any co passenger says something all of a sudden like I mentioned in my previous post, being a sane human our reflexes do work and sometimes results in lack of control. Reflexes don't wait for our command. Sometimes a fraction of second is more than enough to make us indulge into a mishap, especially at higher speeds. Even a slight tilt of steering wheel can be disastrous.

Drive safe

Cheers!
Aakarsh

[Thad E Ginathom]

If people don't like the way that I drive, they can travel some other way! Well, ok, I'm not into causing discomfort, and if someone needs me, for instance, to go slower over the bumps, I will --- but I'm sure others will appreciate the basic principle.

On the other hand, I never complain at a gentle "Did you see that bus?" or, more like, pedestrian, because yes, usually I did, but if I didn't, it could save a live.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Originally Posted by Aakarsh

I would like to share one which I oftenly face, and I am sure each and every male member onboard would have faced it.

Any female passanger in the car traveling, let it be your mother, sister, friend, etc.
You are driving (at any speed : 20 kmph, 80 kmph etc) and she suddenly screams (dekho, dekho - see see!) or (roko roko - stop stop!) as in, don't know what has happened! Then points out to a shop or a panipuri wala.

The person behind the wheel gets distracted and slightly misses any mishap!

No offenses to anyone but this happens to me, a lot of times. As usual me and my father try to make her understand that it diverts the mind of the driver, but we could only try! Everyone knows. Lol

Brother you are forgetting it's not only paanipuri wala,angoorwala,sabziwala pls add Sale Sale Sale of bed sheets,pillow covers,Banarsi Saris,Cheap Maxi,Midis, to be worn at home,Maybe if they think OK Sale of Shirts for you. I don't get shock listening to their screaming but am Relaxed and keep driving. Hahahaha.....

[rajivrt]

Recently a group of us colleagues from office impromptu decided to take an overnight short river rafting trip from Noida to Rishikesh. We started a bit late at 5 am (one of the guys would just not wake up). We are all married with kid/s and whenever a chance kicks in I try to take out the hardworking team I have on whatever short break we can afford considering we are a startup trying to please all the clients at the same time.

We hit the road at 5 am and by the time we crossed Ghaziabad it was nearing 6. The ride to Muzzafarnagar was smooth and by 10 we were near Roorkee when we stopped for breakfast. This is where we spent too much time, and were stuck in a jam in Haridwar (now routine) we ended up reaching Rishikesh after 1230. Since we never booked our raft enroute we waited a long time for the shortest rafting time I have ever had, and after that we decided to hike to a nearby waterfall to complete the experience.

There we made our first mistake, as it was crazy packed we just decided to head back to Delhi at around 1930. We reached back Muzzafarnagar at around midnight, and after having dinner at a wonderful dhaba we started back at 15 minutes to 1. Let me mention that the car I was driving is a petrol Sunny- I had sold off my scorpio a couple of year back after clocking 3L km and am yet to buy another SUV. By the time we hit the road again, I was feeling sleepy and in no position to drive, and the rest of the guys were too in no position to drive. I had driven the entire leg of this journey and saw no one else I could trust with the wheel so decided to stretch it out.

This was a mistake and I think I dozed off for a few seconds while pushing 100 on the Muzzafarnagar Meerut highway. As soon as I realized that I promptly parked the car near a roadside dhaba and asked everyone to take a quick nap. Was happy as even the short 45 minutes nap refreshed me and thereafter I could drive back to Delhi with full concentration. I had done such trips earlier, but considering I am 42 now, with lack of exercise and an unhealthy daily routine, I guess the energy levels have gone down substantially. I have promised myself never to repeat this again. Fellow Team BHPians, do not drive if you are feeling too sleepy. A short 15-20 km ride within the city can be manageable but highway driving in a sleepy condition is a strict no.

[ankurchaturvedi]

The incident which i am sharing happend a couple of years back. I had some work in south Mumbai and left at about 6:00 A.M from Thane. I had slept late the previous night and was feeling drowsy and irritable at the wheel (was driving an accent).I left home and has ascended the cadbury bridge in Thane, when i think i dozed off for a second. Big mistake as i was driving on the right hand lane.

A XUV had suffered a breakdown and was parked in this lane(He had his hazard lights on). My car went over a column of the flyover (the kind which has two metal rails horizontally running through the center of the road). It jarred me awake and i spotted the XUV in the nick of time. Slammed the brakes and tried to steer away,but had no ABS! End result was that, i slammed into the XUV at a low speed(i don't remember the exact speed now,but must have been less than 10 KMPH). A polo slammed into my car from the rear. The damages- XUV-almost none, My car- Front and read bumper were dented, polo- front bumper dented and number plate jarred loose.

Lessons learnt:-

1) Never drive in the right lane, leave it clear for overtaking

2) Drive slow even if you are getting delayed or are in a hurry

3) Always purchase a car with ABS and always wear seat belts(I had the belts on and it prevented personal injury)

4) Never drive if you are tired/drowsy

5) Have a good nap if you feel if your reflexes are suffering

6) Even if you have a puncture/breakdown in the fast lane, pull over to the shoulder of the road to replace the tyre/attend to the problem. If you are unable to pull over,push the car away from the flow of traffic

Above all drive safe, they say that you only live once, but if you live to drive, drive safe- it will save you and your family a lot of agony.

[dinesh6481]

Since I drive long distances more often than not, I make it a point that I get adequate sleep. Once I was to shift from Palampur and was packing till late in the night. The movers truck came early and by 14:00hrs I was ready to move to Delhi by road after seeing of the cargo truck. After an hour of driving I realise that I am dozing off and on. I immediately pulled over and took a nap for half an hour. Got up after 30 minutes, washed my faced with cold water and had my tea. I was fresh as lily and reached Delhi comfortably. I also make it a point to eat light before and during drive and keep a coffee break in 3 hours. Recently I came across a device on Amazon and was wondering the efficacy of same. Since I drive alone I thought of buying this gadget .

[ankurchaturvedi]

Originally Posted by dinesh6481

Recently I came across a device on Amazon and was wondering the efficacy of same.

Interesting to say the least.I have certain doubts though, in a regular Indian driving environment, due to bad and bumpy roads as well sudden braking and constantly shaking our head at the actions of bad drivers , our heads tend to "nod" a lot. What happens then? Will the device still activate?I think this can be a boon on those long and monotonous highway drives.

[dinesh6481]

Originally Posted by ankurchaturvedi

Interesting to say the least.I have certain doubts though, in a regular Indian driving environment, due to bad and bumpy roads as well sudden braking and constantly shaking our head at the actions of bad drivers , our heads tend to "nod" a lot. What happens then? Will the device still activate?I think this can be a boon on those long and monotonous highway drives.

I completely agree. i think this equipment works on the principal of your head position and would alert when the head dips down below a preset limit. However in my opinion dozing off behind wheel is much more complex then angle of head. A simple loss of concentration is more than adequate for fatal accidents on indian roads. I also have the same doubts about its efficacy.
Because of my single long runs i am looking for something which can help me avoid any contingency. off late i have started travelling with my Beagle who keeps me busy with his howling in the backseat. the only downside is that i need to take more breaks then i would like to take

[DejavuTrip]

This happened last night with me on the way back to Bangalore at around 9:45 PM. Had been driving from Udupi with one coffee break for 30 minutes and another dinner break at Swathi delicacy for 30 minutes. Somehow, I was binge drinking coffee yesterday without thinking of possible side-effects. Had 2 coffee cups during the coffee break and one more after dinner. I had resumed driving after dinner and was driving at good speed when suddenly I started feeling dizzy and unable to enjoy it anymore. Tried lowering the window for a minute to allow in fresh air and hoped for things to improve. Nothing worked. Pulled over and my wife's cousin drove the remaining distance. Apparently, coffee overdose causes dizziness (Coffee Overdose). Vowed never to drink coffee again and stick to chewing gum.

[sunsetorange]

Originally Posted by DejavuTrip

Somehow, I was binge drinking coffee yesterday without thinking of possible side-effects. Apparently, coffee overdose causes dizziness (Coffee Overdose). Vowed never to drink coffee again and stick to chewing gum.

Happens to me if I have more than 2 cups of filter coffee. I switched to tea ;-)
Try tea.

[dre@ms]

3 incidents to share here,

1. Reverse sensor
Was reversing in BigBazaar parking lot and the parking sensor was shouting "Stalk", the tone and melodious voice was repeated by my wife and son and i was taken apart and correcting them. Bang!! Car hit the pillars, dent in the boot lip and bumper.

Lesson learnt: Never ever get distracted, especially while reversing.

2. Sumptuous lunch
Heading to Goa and stopped for lunch at Bijapur. I usually get headache if lunch is not taken on time and that day was no excuse. Remedy, fill my stomach to the brim.
Resumed our drive and there it goes, unable to keep my eyes open and dozing off like hell. Immediately munched some toffees, opened the windows and informed my wife to keep talking with me. Luckily after 30 minutes, was back to my senses.

Lesson learnt: Have less food esp. while driving.

3. First ever night drive
Returning from Ooty. Started at 6AM from coonoor and reached Bangalore by 5.30PM (Traffic was insane and hence this delay). Still 700+ kms to Hyderabad but wife gave me the confidence to drive through it.
With numerous breaks, smokes and ice water splashes was able to munch on the required KMs. Time 2.30AM and 50+ kms left over and wife started to doze and she was uncontrollable. I immediately turned off the music, rolled down the windows, but in one turn doing 80kmph, eyes got shut for a fraction of second and I saw hell. Immediately parked the car for the usual routine and resumed my drive with utmost caution. Reached home at 3.30AM.

Lesson learnt: NEVER EVER drive in the night.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Happened with me few months ago on the highway while returning to Bhubaneswar from Bramhapur in Odisha. I needed to get to Bhubaneswar by noon to attend a lunch party, but since I had departed from Brahmapur early, I was driving very slow just to avoid getting to that party before time! The road was completely empty and I was driving closer to the median when suddenly the right tyres brushed the median for a second. I quickly came to my senses and increased my speed and concentration.

Lesson learnt: Not to drive too slow or amble around on the highways

[VaidhiR]

Does Bluetooth headsets count?

Jokes aside. I find those super bright neon lights a big distractions. I lived in Chennai and always found the billboards, advertisement boards and shop names with those flashing disco neon lights to be highly distracting.

In 2016, I didnt see a median stone until the last moment and almost rode into one. Had the road been any more dusty or had it rained, I would've slipped bad.

[drkumarmp]

As I have recently discovered that one of the major causes of Concentration lapse and drowsiness while long drive is Sleep apnea, which is far more common than people thought of, we all think may be we didn't get a good night's sleep, even after a 7 to 8 Hour sleep I have personally found being sleepy on long drive, tried all, like coffee, snacks (spicy, salty, sour, sweety..), music, Loud music, audio books, washing the face, eye drops to prevent dryness, and many more as many here would to have, but finally on a hunch got a sleep study done at a hospital & found to have sleep apnea, treatment is of course to sleep wearing a CPAP machine, makes a world of difference, no more morning headaches, also search youtube videos of Sleep apnea or CPAP and you will find people talking about their driving problems before being diagnosed, which is very common abroad and is slowly gaining here in India too. I wasted a lot of travel time without knowing this, just wanted to let others here get a heads up on it..