[vnabhi]

Congrats on your first trip, Sriswe! The pics are good.

A word of caution-- on the 7th pic in the first lot, I can see you overtaking a tanker that has just been overtaken by a truck---this is a very dangerous situation that you must strictly avoid in future. You should have stuck behind the tanker, waited for the truck in front to swing back to the left lane after he completed his overtaking manoeuvre, checked for opposite direction traffic,and then tried to overtake if the coast was clear.
Since you are from Salur---did you try to go on the Salur ghat (a.k.a. Sunki ghat) that goes to Damanjodi and Sunabeda? That will give you great exposure to ghat driving---buttttt, please attempt that after you are a seasoned driver with a valid D.L.

[sriswe]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Congrats on your first trip, Sriswe! The pics are good.

Since you are from Salur---did you try to go on the Salur ghat (a.k.a. Sunki ghat) that goes to Damanjodi and Sunabeda? That will give you great exposure to ghat driving---buttttt, please attempt that after you are a seasoned driver with a valid D.L.

Thanks vnabhi,
I will generally overtake as you mentioned, but sometimes you know we can't control that temptation to overtake the truck which is moving slowly. But will surely want to control my emotions during such times.

I have been to sunki, damanjodi , koraput and jaipur, but not on a drive. And I know that the ghat road will be difficult for people like me. The ghat section is excellent for ghat road experience.

Originally Posted by dushmish

Congrats on your first long drive. My observations:

1. Pic 4 and 5 show you are driving on the wrong side of the road. Why?

Yes, In Pic 4 actually i was driving on the wrong side of the road. Somehow in the inital days of my driving ( for 1000 - 2000 kms on the odo), it became a habit kind of thing to me to move to the right side on a two lane and drive. I know it is dangerous, I got severe warnings from my father-in-law, who once travelled on a short trip with me regarding this. I still not improved on it.

Pic 5 is taken from the rear window of the car ..

2. Pic 6 and 7 show your vehicle is in the line of on coming traffic. VERY Dangerous. What were you trying?

In Pic 6, it is on the line, but 7 is taken from rear of the car

3. Pic 8 and 9 show your left wheel is too close to the left edge of the road. Not a good idea. Why was it so?

hmm...have to change :(

4. Your dash seemed to be having too many things kept on it. Not a good idea at all. Specially in case of sudden braking at high speeds these things can cause havoc. Keep your dash clear of all stuff. Specially of cell phones, as they can become missiles at when you brake at 90 kmph.

As said in my previous reply, will cleanup things on the dash from now

5. Your driving position is stiff. Not seem to be enjoying your drive. Hold the steering at points where the clock's hands are at 10 past 10.

ya, as mentioned by other Team-BHPians, i am already implementing the changes. Now I feel comfortable and relaxed also.



Dushmish

Originally Posted by GenuineOptimist

These are very typical Indian attitudes & practices towards laws & safety.



Seat belts have nothing to do with likes/dislikes. Its the difference between education and illiteracy. I've seen a lot of my well learned colleagues ridiculing me when I wear seatbelts. They say its not required in India. Same attitude when I talk about air bags & abs. Not required in India. As if India has some divine powers and Lord Ram will descend to stop the car & protect the bodies from being thrown around..

I don't know when we'll get educated, irrespective of our degrees and respectable professions.

Yes, I will have to tell her about the importance seriously.

Originally Posted by zen91

The statue is in Keesara..a place close to Nandigama.

The place is paritla and its around 30KMs before vijayawada on the hyd-vja NH9.


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[venuraja]

I had done long journeys of about 700km several times in my Indica V2 car with my wife and daughters.
Indica is a wonderful car on the high way with good stability and with good braking power.
I want to suggest a few precautions with my experience.

First your driving position is not correct. Your seat back rest position is also not
correct.
Do not clutter the dash board , clean it up before you start on a long journey.
Do not look at canging the CD or even to switch on the AC button etc., while on the highway at a certain speed. Leave these things to the people sitting beside you.
Never take your eyes off the highway,NEVER even for a second.
And tell the people to wear the seat belts and most probably just do not allow them to discuss serious issues , perticularly with wife.
And congratulations for your long journey.

[TrueDreamer]

sriswe, That was a good start. Awaiting for the log of rest of the trip.

And please keep a track of your rear-view and OVRMs regularly to ensure you are not being tailgated at high speeds. On 19th, a lorry in front of us was tail gating a ford fiesta and when the fiesta breaked in emergency it was rear-ended by the lorry.

Paritala is a great place and I have passed it on the way to VZA last on 19th May 09. Being Hanuman Jayanti (birthday of Lord Hanuman), it was extraordinarily decorated and filled with many devotees.

[pjay_in]

Originally Posted by mobike008

His brother is sitting in the rear seat, that's what i can make out from the picture. So how can he wear seatbelts?

Didn't get the 'how can he' aspect of the question. The seat belt is right there (you can see it in the pic), isn't it.

Originally Posted by GenuineOptimist

What if you are unable to drive for some reason, but you want the car to be moved to another place? Who will do it? (Maybe you are away from the car, maybe you are drunk, or maybe you are stuck in the hotel)

Can't these things happen to experienced drivers with valid licence too? I don't think we can plan for a back up driver for all scenarios. I'd say it's better to take extra care when you are the only driver (don't drink, don't get stuck etc )

But yes, if you are a learner you need to drive in company of a good driver.

[MileCruncher]

Sriswe, nice to know that you went on a long drive on your new car and this was your first. Yes one needs to graduate from being a city driver to a Highway driver, but its easier said than done. One need to transition slowly unlike in your case wherein you went to Class 10 staright from Class 2.

Originally Posted by GenuineOptimist

These are very typical Indian attitudes & practices towards laws & safety.

If there is any law which prevents Learners to drive on highways, will we obey it? Its not about laws, its about our judgement and doing what is safe for ourselves and others. Law enforcement is already pathetic in our country. All it takes is Rs. 200/- to get away on flouting even serious laws like drunken driving.

Secondly, if your wife doesn't know how to drive it just doesn't matter whether she has a driving license or not. You might use this to bargain with the cops to reduce the bribe on getting caught, but pls think about derisking for your own convenience. What if you are unable to drive for some reason, but you want the car to be moved to another place? Who will do it? (Maybe you are away from the car, maybe you are drunk, or maybe you are stuck in the hotel)

Seat belts have nothing to do with likes/dislikes. Its the difference between education and illiteracy. I've seen a lot of my well learned colleagues ridiculing me when I wear seatbelts. They say its not required in India. Same attitude when I talk about air bags & abs. Not required in India. As if India has some divine powers and Lord Ram will descend to stop the car & protect the bodies from being thrown around..

I don't know when we'll get educated, irrespective of our degrees and respectable professions.

+1 to all the above. Please read my feelings on the above subject further on at http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post1335503


I don't want to harp on things that already have seen said by other esteemed and experienced members but I think its your responsibility as a driver to instill sense of law into your passengers / family members travelling with you. More than disobeying the law, what gets my goat is in general reckless behaviour of people towards their personal safety.

Also if I'm not wrong, Learner Licence holder is not allowed on the Highway. In developed countries, new drivers loose their licence on disobedience to certain laws compared to older drivers.

Happy and Safe Motoring.

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

....... one needs to graduate from being a city driver to a Highway driver, but its easier said than done. One need to transition slowly unlike in your case wherein you went to Class 10 staright from Class 2.

............

Also if I'm not wrong, Learner Licence holder is not allowed on the Highway. In developed countries, new drivers loose their licence on disobedience to certain laws compared to older drivers.

Happy and Safe Motoring.

I do not think that one graduates to highway driving. Highway driving is just different. One only needs to be aware of how the vehicle is behaving on the road and in relation to other vehicles.

AFAIK, there is no prohibition on the holder of a Learner's License from driving on any public road whether state highways, bational highways, expressways or any other ways. I am not aware of the law in 'developed' countries.

Cheers,

[vikram.vns]

Originally Posted by sriswe

Hi,

To Be Continued ......

Hey Sriswe,

Great Star !! It reminded me of my first Long Drive to Dwaraka Tirumala with my family in my new car.

Waiting for the rest of the story.

Regards,

Vikram

[Majic]

You have done a good job for a first travelouge, keep it rolling!

[Gandhi]

Nice start there. Waiting for rest of the travelogue.

One small question to experienced drivers here - why is everyone suggesting to hold the steering at 10 past 10 position? I think different people will have different comfort levels at different positions. I am not an experienced driver by any means, but I prefer to hold the steering at 20 past 8 position unless I am turning it. This position enables me to rest my hands on both the arm rests.

[issigonis]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

Nice start there. Waiting for rest of the travelogue.

One small question to experienced drivers here - why is everyone suggesting to hold the steering at 10 past 10 position? I think different people will have different comfort levels at different positions. I am not an experienced driver by any means, but I prefer to hold the steering at 20 past 8 position unless I am turning it. This position enables me to rest my hands on both the arm rests.

Gandhi,

The reason that almost every experienced bhpian is suggesting the '10 past 10' steering wheel holding position is that it enables the driver for any rapid response to any situation on the road requiring quick steering inputs to avoid traffic and accidents.
[Bhpians please correct me if I am wrong here.]

If you steer the wheel by resting your arms/elbows on the armrests, that is extremely dangerous as your arms are not free to move as quickly as they would be in the '10 past 10' position for any eventuality.

Slightly off topic here - I see lots of Indians creep at traffic lights and not stop, as in stop. I remember my driving instructors in the US and in South Africa tell me that Indians do not follow instructions and do not listen - I was ashamed as an Indian and always remember to stop completely at traffic lights regardless of the honking of the drivers behind me.

As I am at it, another point, when you are entering/exiting a road, always stop, not slow down, for traffic as there is a drivers' blind spot which is not covered by any of the three RVMs- this is approximately 45 degrees from your head ( if you consider your two ears to be the X axis then 45 degrees below on both sides would be the blind spot). In the West, you have the advantage that cars will overtake/pass you from only one side, not so in India. So one has to be doubly careful.

Always better safe than sorry- better to be predictable than reach heaven before my time.

Regards

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by issigonis

If you steer the wheel by resting your arms/elbows on the armrests, that is extremely dangerous as your arms are not free to move as quickly as they would be in the '10 past 10' position for any eventuality.

I was mentioning about this position only for cruising speeds and not in city traffic as the thread-starter was driving on highways and must be cruising at some safe speed. I'll have to see in what position my hands are, when I am driving in city.