[Mpower]

Actually it more risky on American freeways because it can be empty and boring in the night.

at least in India, there is always some traffic and vehicles around you that demand some concenteration.

[cheatingdeath]

drifter... good youll are all fine..... just take care man,,, you have responsibilities

[Aditya]

Experience is the best teacher. Good you got back without injury. Remember the Golden rule of highway driving: Start early, drive safely, 6pm shut shop. You know me, highway driving and all. Trust me, it works.

[adya33]

hey drifty,

that was a scary accident. I didn't realised how serious this incident was when we talked on phone. you were damn lucky & the girl setting next to you is the luckiest girl.

along with others suggestion I would like to add one point
drink black sugerless coffee
trust me on this one it may taste like ^%# but it works
alternatively you can buy Espresso Beanz in Cafe Coffee Day, these are coffee beans highly effective (personal experience)

also the best thing is what aditya said
6PM end of days play

[moralfibre]

Hey drifter good to know that you are safe and that CRDi was running although smashed till your destination. Try to be more cautious next time and take proper rest. If you feel sleepy just pull over and push the seat down.

Originally Posted by speedsatya

and the moment u feel u are getting tired...just stop the car and try and take a walk ...or wash ur face ...or if you are too tired ....just park the car on teh side and get some nap...a small 15-30 mins sleep does do wonders...
good that you all were saved...

Optionally try spraying a cold bottle of Soda on your face just like popping champagne. Try doing this even when if you get drunk someday.

[RJK]

That was stretching things way too far man...thank your lucky stars for being alive. No more advice..every1 else has done that part.

[gr8guzzler]

Hey Drifter.....good to know that you are safe and sound after that crash. Take care & drive safe...

[rks]

I would like to add one point to all the good advice given.

While approaching the toll gate on the Mumbai-Pune expressway I used to do the following operations with the car still slowing down from high speed: switch off A/C, roll down window, switch on light inside car (at night), pull out purse from back-pocket and count Rs. 118/-. Once, I am approaching toll gate at night (~ !0 PM) at about 110 kmph on the right lane, very fatigued and sleep-deprived. For the life of me, I am unable to find the A/C knob with left hand groping. So I look down and find and switch off the A/C, but take too long. I look up again, and find that the car is veering off-course, almost past the extreme right line close to the divider. Fortunately, I corrected the vehicle before an amateurish disaster happened.

Moral of story: NEVER take your eyes off the road while driving at night. Your peripheral vision is almost zero and there will be no warning that the vehicle is going off-course. And fatigue and sleeplessness mean that your concentration and mental alertness will drop and you are likely to get distracted by other stuff while your eyes are off the road.

A second lesson from the above near-disaster: Where possible stick to the centre of the road (or the middle lane), using the right lane only for overtaking. This will give you greater margins for error in an emergency, such as, tyre blowout, people crossing, or momentary lapses of concentration by you or someone else. Of course, in the case of toll gate, light vehicles may have to approach at right. Secondly, if there are too many slow-moving vehicles in the centre lane, it may be better to stick to the right lane rather than frequently change lanes.

So now I count my money BEFORE the journey starts and do all other operations AFTER the vehicle has come to a halt.

And many thanks to speed_satya and shan2nu for their helpful replies to my queries on another aborted thread ("High speed driving/ tyre life")

Regards, rks

[drifter]

That day was just one of those days that you never forget. Right up till the accident i didnt really think about the fatigue which was setting in...i knew that i shouldn't have been driving at night and for so long continuously...but always kept thinking that i'l do a few more kms and stop, but that never happened. Plus that i wanted to stop at some town and not on a lonely stretch kept me going in search of that elusive 'safe' place.

I just drifted away from rational thinking...it was something like being drunk when you know you are doing something wrong but you tend to resist less than you would have when sober.

I always enforce seatbelts in the car...but yet again that night I didnt really object to the removal of the seatbelt by my co-driver...part sleep deprivation and part 'it wont happen to me' mentality took over. But it did happen to me and the others with me...and I thank god...for keeping us safe that night.

And a big Thanks to the government boys from the congress party that helped us out that night...dont know what we would have done without them.

Lesson learnt...although a bit unpleasantly...but learnt nevertheless. It could have been much worse. Glad to be here.

Drifter

[Conan]

And thank you for sharing this experience with us all. I am sure everyone who read this will be more cautious. Atleast I would be.

Conan

[drifter]

Originally Posted by Conan

And thank you for sharing this experience with us all. I am sure everyone who read this will be more cautious. Atleast I would be.

Conan

Yeah that's the idea of the thread.

Drifter

[nitrous]

I'm so happy to see u fine, and talk to u. Dude, do take care always and u've taught a great lesson to all of us. I'm never gonna forget this incident all my life.

[adya33]

And a big Thanks to the government boys from the congress party that helped us out that night...dont know what we would have done without them.

now we all know where drifters vote will go

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by drifter

That day was just one of those days that you never forget. Right up till the accident i didnt really think about the fatigue which was setting in...

That's the thing about fatigue, it hits you fast and without warning. You were very lucky and thank god for that.

I once did something similar, but it wouldn't sound so bad because I was planning to drive only 31 miles. We had just landed in New york coming back from a visit to India, took a taxi to my Uncle's house, after a brief break, picked up my car and started driving towards our home in New Jersey which was just 31 miles or 45 minutes away. Nothing odd right? Except I hadn't slept in 48 hours since I can't sleep on flights, and add jetlag to this deadly recipe. First 15 minutes were fine, after that I was hit with such a strong urge to sleep, it was an immense struggle to keep my eyes open. I tried every trick, drive slow, turned the A/C to my face, tried keeping at least one eye open alternatively, kept talking to wife, slapped my face repeatedly, etc. It was one crazy 30 minutes of driving. When I reached home, it was such a relief.

After that experience, I am very wary of driving without proper rest or sleep. In fact it is illegal to drive tired in New Jersey.

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/003863.html

[drifter]

now we all know where drifters vote will go

Hehe surely...but its supposed to be a secret ballot isnt it? So Shhhh!!!! .

Drifter