[Vaastav]

I don't drive, but I do ride, so here are some of my observations and learnings.
I own 2 bikes, one is a RX-100 (2 stroke) and the other is a CI Bullet (4 stroke), and both require different styles of riding.
My basic rule is 55-10 for the RX, as it's engine is not made for continuous running at speed, and a 10 minute break gives it time to rest. I also leave the accelerator when I am in a clear/downhill stretch while riding to further avoid taxing the engine. The 10 minute break is also needed to get the vibrations out of my hands and feet, because it is a vibey bike. I've done 3 long journeys on it so far, with the shortest being 2 hours and the longest being 5.5 hours. A good seat is essential for any bike to prevent aches and pains.
The Bullet on the other hand is much more at home on the highway and munches miles once it is in its 60-70 km/h sweet spot. In the case of the Bullet, I usually ride for about 90 min and then take a 5 minute break. Again, a good seat is a must.
I avoid night driving because I don't enjoy being perpetually dazzled by oncoming traffic, so I plan my journeys accordingly. Meal halts are when I feel hungry, then I look for the dhaba with the most trucks outside it.
Another key aspect is being in good physical condition (generally fit) and being well rested before starting out, since these ensure that you aren't as fatigued/tired at the end.

[nitin_knw]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

For the past year and a half or so, I have been doing Bangalore-Pune-Bangalore trips a lot. The distance around 850 kms is being covered in 11-12 hrs with 3 breaks - Breakfast for 30 mins, Fuel for 15 mins and tea/light snacks for 15 mins. So total of 3 breaks all around 300 kms each. The logic was to give the body the desired time to stretch and help blood recirculation and for the engine to avoid any kind of turbo fatigue due to the higher rpms involved...

I have driven 950 km multiple times that took me 18 hours with 2 hours of break, I do not have a rule set for breaks but ensure I do not drive more than 200 km in single stretch. Any good sceneric place or road side dhaba for a quick cup of tea is inviting enough to take a break,some credit goes to super comfort ride of XUV 300

[Neversaygbye]

My planned breaks are usually once every four hours or so, as this allows me to cover a substantial distance in between, especially on long trips. For example on the Calcutta-Vizag road trip I stopped a total of four times on the way to Vizag - however two of those breaks were more than an hour long thanks to breakfast and lunch. Sometimes, depending on my co-passengers' requests or bio-break needs, I might stop more often. Usually the shorter trips see more breaks, as even with the time taken by the breaks, the entire trip duration remains manageable.

[iFrag]

The breaks are contingent on the road conditions, companions, weather and car

In US -
When the wife and drive in road trips - we take breaks every 2 hours, sometimes even every 3 hours and stop only for fuel breaks when I had ICE car.

That being said, since, I had bought a Tesla last year the breaks are every 2 hours because we need to charge the car.

In India - we don't do long road trips (more than 4 hours) as my parents (or in-laws) don't allow it and I am a 34 year old man. Haha.

[shankar.balan]

The primary worry here is those long periods of time,
spent ‘sitting-down’, with virtually zero movement of the lower body. The same case applies to long flights and long train journeys and long hours spent sitting at one’s work desk, either at the workplace or at home.

The longest distance that I will typically drive in one day, in India, is probably 500 to 600kms. Say for example Bangalore to Madurai or Hyderabad. Driving an AT vehicle means that one’s left foot is mostly at rest. This may cause it to go to sleep. If driving abroad, maybe a maximum driving time in a day, would be 7-8 hours because one can generally traverse vast distances in that time.
More than the distances, one has to be mindful about the time one spends sitting-down. For example, if one goes on an off roading expedition or a trail drive, one may not cover much by way of distance, but one certainly spends many hours behind the wheel, sitting-down. All this ‘sitting-down’ may aggravate or exacerbate dangers such as deep-vein thrombosis.

Being a tall person I most definitely need to stretch from time to time. In consequence, I tend to stop (while driving) every couple of hours, use the opportunity for a bio break and do a few stretching exercises just to get the blood flowing a bit.

It just feels better for my body, that I do this.

[argho]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Rules of thumb in just about all western countries by their respective automotive organisation and so on is take a 15 minute break every 2 hours and don’t drive more than 8 hours.

Jeroen

Agree with Jeroen.

I had a bad experience almost 30 years ago (I was in my early 20s then).

My dad had recently retired in Hyderabad. He was visiting me in Chennai (where I lived), and by chance we came across a 2nd hand Maruti Esteem for sale, in very good condition, at a great price. In those days, a Maruti Esteem was a premium vehicle.

He bought the car, and we decided to drive it back to Hyderabad together.

We were taking turns driving. On one stretch, when I was driving for about 2 hours he asked me several times to take a break, and let him take over.

I was young and feeling over-confident. I said no need.

And soon after, there was an accident in front of us. I had to break hard to avoid the pile-up, and my leg cramped.

Luckily I manage to swerve, and only scraped/dented the left fender of the Esteem.

I felt so bad after that. My retired father had spent his savings to buy a car and I had damaged it.

Since then, I regularly take a 10 minute break every 1.5 - 2 hours.

Walk around. Stretch. Drink some water. Whatever. But take a break.

[Genie]

Science apart, on long journeys these days we are most likely to plan our breaks given that there are many outlets on the highways which offer good food and parking with decent toilet facilities. Back in my earlier years, breaks were bio breaks or for snacking, pulling out the stuff packed from home at a good, shaded/scenic spot on the side of the road. Cars too needed a break like the good old HM Ambassador which needed the radiator water refill and particularly in summers or on ghat roads, it was the car that decided the frequency of the breaks.

Present day cars don’t ask for a break although whenever I stop, I switch off the engine, but before that, I roll down all the windows, flush out air turning the blower speed high for a couple of minutes in ventilation mode to freshen up the car. I feel this also helps avoid condensation.

Coming to the driver, one can take a conscious decision based on how the last few hours of driving was. Was one the edge of the seat navigating through challenging traffic and road conditions, or driving enthusiastically with utmost concentration, driving in poor weather/visibility conditions and many such scenarios. While an aching body might send the signals, we need to take a conscious break for mind's sake to refresh, relieve stress and regain balance which I feel is a necessary safety measure in long drives.

I drive an automatic these days and use cruise control often, and take very opportunity to keep stretching, moving around in the seat to counteract hours of sitting, but I would never deny myself a frequent break. The same applies to the occupants to who just need to get out to bring back the circulation, hydrate and take a breath of fresh air.

To summarise, while we all drive with a time target in mind trying to adhere to plans, incorporating breaks are a great way to journey.
Aren't breaks very interesting just like driving? Stopping by roadside to admire a view, catching up with family/friends driving/riding along with you, or sipping a beverage alone and contemplating on the wonderful journey ahead.

[Divya Sharan]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Is this advisable to start so early, I mean the body Circadian rhythm of deep sleep is best between 2 and 4 pm. Although I myself wake up at 3 am for the 4.30 am start but a good hot bath actually wakes me up totally. However my early morning drives are generally with eyes cringing due to the blatant use of High beams by the oncoming traffic. Once it dawns then its a smooth sailing.

I agree it could be difficult if one isn't used to sleeping early. I hit the bed by 10 PM almost every day throughout the year and wake up by 4:30 to 5 AM everyday without an alarm, without fuss/tiredness. Therefore, for such planned trips, I naturally advance my sleep schedule by 1.5 to 2 hours for a full week straight. No last minute packing, organising etc.

And because I start so early, I leave city/satellite town limits by 4 AM post which there are very few vehicles on the road to blind me.
Having said that, post dawn is indeed smooth sailing because that's when I don't have to rely on the cars' headlights and I can cruise at my highway speeds.

[hrishi_dypim]

I think one should fix their interval to take a break based on their experience. if someone is new to highway driving, should start with 2-3 hrs of interval.
For me, have fixed it as 5 hrs. even if don't feel like taking a break, and If 5 hrs. cross, start looking for a suitable place to stop. many times our mind is so much into the road and drive that it does not send the signal or let us feel. but we realize only when we see the difference between pre and post break. also need to be very conscious of water intake, it should be more than what usually we take at home or the office.

When one is driving continuously, their energy level or activeness level diminishes and so the same is visible with driving style which increases the time to travel. For example, when one is fresh and active, will not spend 2-5 mins behind the trucks or any such traffic but look for a way to overtake and go ahead. driving will be more active and defensive. could be many such situations that can be well handled when feel fresh and active.
There are many stretches on the highway where one can't get good washrooms or restaurants for 5 to 8 hours and break is skipped. If the destination is 2-3 hours away and sunset starts, people try to reach their before 7-8 PM to their home and the break is skipped. Many times the city limit starts on the highway and there is so much traffic on the road and no enough space to park to take a break and again break is skipped.

So, I think the way we make sure to keep all the possible tool kits for the car, should also think about our body and should keep coffee, green tea, chewing gum, orange juice, or whatever we like and suit. This will be used where don't get a chance to take a break.

[RDS]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

As per experts a rest is needed after every 2 hrs for 15 mins. I normally tend to take a break every 3 hrs during the trip.

As per one of the famous YouTube educator and excellent mechanic, Mukesh, a 15-30 min break every 3 hours or so would be beneficial for the vehicle and the driver both.

I drive significantly and 8-10 hour trips are fairly common. Longer trips can extend upto 15 hours (or slightly more in special situations.)

For me, average breaktime comes to 4 hours approx. One of the reasons is I drive an automatic and that is very comfortable on long trips.

However, ideally a break every 3 hours (or few min higher) or so is what I would say is required even for long trip experienced drivers especially if driving a manual.
If lesser experienced, then probably reduce to break every 2.5 hours.

Also, to me, reaching safe and sound is more important. Delay due to breaks is not really delay, it is a part of the journey.

Downhill on mountains, I now usually drive car at turtle speeds enjoying the journey and give everyone the way, if trip is small!! Last 5 hour trip, I completed in 8 hours

[Livnletcarsliv]

Here is my take on cars and breaks for long journeys.

The number/frequency of breaks for any drive is totally based on TIME/DURATION of the continuous drive. It is the time spent in the car that decides the level of tiredness/fatigue for any person and not the distance covered or the car itself.

However, there is no-one-time-fits-all because this time/duration of the continuous drive varies with these factors - the car itself (including the transmission), road conditions, time of the drive, distance you want to cover/total distance from start place to final destination (not the break destination), your/passengers age, body condition, etc.

Regarding the car itself, as long as it is driven at the appropriate rpm's, it can definitely run for more than 12-15 or even 24 hours. Remember the XUV700 endurance run? So definitely the car will easily outrun our body to sustain the fatigue level.

A simple thumb rule is that, maintain optimum speed to cover the longest distance possible. Don't drive too fast nor too slow if you have to cover as much distance as possible. The point here is that driving too fast/too slow needs lot more mental and physical attention and work compared to driving at an optimum speed. So our we will reach the fatigue level faster/quicker.

Another simple thumb rule I follow is that I take a lot of liquid (water, shakes, juices, tender coconut, etc) refreshments during the drive which automatically pushes me to take 2-5min loo breaks every 1-2hrs.

[ARAY]

Back in India, whenever I traveled from Hyderabad to Asansol (WB), I only made stops for refueling. I had a preference for driving at night – the time between 1am to 5am provided the ideal conditions for concentration and a great pair of headlights was, of course, a necessity. During my recent Spiti trip, I covered the distance non-stop from Delhi to Hyderabad.

I maintained this approach both at the beginning and end of my journeys, ensuring that fatigue or tiredness never became an issue. The Duster AWD was content, and so was I.

While driving from Oxford to Scotland in the UK, the initial plan was a non-stop drive. However, my co-passengers reminded me of the legal requirement to take a break of at least 15-20 minutes for every 2 hours of driving.

In conclusion, the key is to ensure both you and your vehicle are not fatigued, allowing you to truly enjoy the drive. The quality of the vehicle, including a superior suspension setup, plays a significant role. Additionally, modern vehicles come equipped with features to alert you when fatigue sets in – a rented BMW X3 once beeped, urging me to take a break.

Lastly while driving nonstop, sometimes you get to capture some epic landscapes in the golden hour at the exact spot you want.

[RM Motorsports]

Article I came across a few days ago. Driving automatic cars on long distances.