Highway Driving (Long Distance Driving)

Highway Driving (Long Distance Driving)

Most people who own 4 wheeler's begin off driving in urban or rural locales depending on their place of stay. Most probably, within the confines of a 50 km range. Here the top speed certainly would not be above 60 kmph & average speed would be around 30 kmph. Am sure most of us are aware that in a recent survey the average speed in Bengaluru is found to be around 15 kmph – could be much lower in the CBD. In fact I have seen people who purchase new cars usually take them out on highways with few days of owning these cars, I do not say that it does not augur well, but yes if you are a first time owner of a 4-wheeler then it certainly is not be advisable. Driving in the city or on highways is way different. And most are graduating from 2-wheelers, hence knowingly or unknowingly their style of driving is similar to what they were doing while driving 2-wheelers. Am sure this makes sense to you if you are one such driver.

 Like getting into an intersection at higher speeds, not really taking into account the width & length of the vehicle, sometimes going over bumps at higher speeds, trying to overtake even if the space may not be enough, sometimes overtaking via the left side of a vehicle, not keeping enough distance with the vehicle ahead, fishtailing, etc., Sometimes such folks meet up with mishaps which might be due to carelessness of other drivers or sometimes due to an error in judgment on their side.

During long distance driving or highway driving, the speeds are always higher as compared to city driving, this is the first & the most important detail that needs to be factored during highway driving. What we got to understand is when the speeds are higher the braking (stopping) will be slower, that is distance to stop will be considerably higher. And there are chances of the vehicle going into a skid in panic braking & then total loss of control of the vehicle & disaster. 

And because the speeds are much higher you are covering more distance each second, hence your reaction time is important. If & when your reaction time is slow (due to various reasons) then there are chances vehicle would reach a region where you are not assuming it would reach. So utmost important to keep your eye on the road at all times, hence if there are people alongside & you have a habit of keeping eye contact while conversing then there could be trouble which should be avoided. At higher speeds having a sense of timing is important, this comes only with practice. 

This is something like when on a highway, you notice a bus ahead and much further ahead you notice another vehicle approaching – you do not know for sure who will reach the vehicle first (that is to the one ahead of you on your lane). If you are approaching at a higher speed & then you realize the opposite vehicle would be reaching first, you might have to resort to panic braking to slow down to avoid rear ending the vehicle ahead of you. But in case you slow down & reach the vehicle much earlier than you thought you would, now you may not get enough time to accelerate & overtake the vehicle ahead of you. Something i have faced at regularly, if you are an expert at this you could reach your destination on time especially on roads with 2 way traffic. 

Fatigue is another important factor, because driving long distances – more time is involved & keeping a steady concentration for longer periods gets you fatigued, then your reaction time could be slower while you may certainly not be slowing down due to fatigue. So its important to get enough rest & take timely breaks. Night driving on highways is something absolutely way different, day driving certainly helps hone your skills. In a country like India especially where the roads are bad & traffic is haphazard, over & above not too many folks follow all necessary regulations driving on highways needs to be practiced with caution.