[theMAG]

Naveen - glad that no one came to any harm. Of course, it'd have been better if the accident hadnt happened at all

[ramkya1]

Hai,Glad to know everyone is safe. I think it's important for anyone driving after dark to be alert or the co-passenger to make sure to keep the driver awake as much as possible.Most modern cars has the engine immobilizer / fuel-cut off. I think Fusion has both into one console under the Front Left dashboard; I once hit the wall moderately hard while parking and the car wouldn'nt start again, the mechanic came and reset one switch which he said acts for fuel and engine.I don't know about other cars. Is the immobilizer and fuel-cut off same unit or are they different? --Ramky

Originally Posted by drifter

Yup, im pretty sure....it was not mentioned in the manual...
After an accident, my car was refusing to start....on calling up tata, they told me to reset the fuel cut-off switch which is located under the carpet below the front passenger seat.

Drifter

[kingofkings]

That was a reallyyy bad one dude...Thank God that ur folks are A-Ok after that one...

[sandeep108]

Hot cups of tea / coffee before driving, especially at night.

[Boom Shiva]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

I think it's important for anyone driving after dark to be alert or the co-passenger to make sure to keep the driver awake as much as possible.

I think this is the most important thing of all. My family has also lost members because the passenger fell asleep and the driver started dozing. It is vital that someone is designated to keep the driver company and make sure he/she stays alert.

[naveendhyani]

a couple of other options to stay awake,

1./ never listen to soothing songs as they relax u which is the first stage of sleep. its time for some heavy metal.
2./ lower ur cabin temp. a study (i guess it was by volvo) established that lower temps lowers the chances of dozing off on the wheels.
3./ keep talking to the passenger. if alone, sing
4./ always keep somebody informed of ur destination & if possible keep in touch with them every couple of hours.

[kutlee]

Originally Posted by naveendhyani

4./ always keep somebody informed of ur destination & if possible keep in touch with them every couple of hours.

That seems like waking that person up every couple of hours (if the person is asleep at night). Stop the vehicle every hour or so to take a walk.
Dozing off during heavy lunch is also a possibility. I had this feeling when i drive in the afternoon. A/C cabin in hot summer afternoon is perfect for dozing off.

[Kinetik]

something very crude but effective it attaches behind ur ear and if your head tends to drop an alarm goes off waking you up
Nap Zapper drowsey driving alarm

[kutlee]

Good product. reminds me of an arm band shown on top gear. this thing vibrates if the hands on steering doesn't move!

[nkapoor777]

hey buddy, thank god everyone is safe.. that was a nasty one..

[mobike008]

Hey Naveen,

That was a real nasty accident. Thank god everything is fine. I am sure that is a huge relief in your family.

I feel the best possible way to avoid accidents ( research says most of the accidents happen between 1:00AM-4:00AM) is to plan ahead and avoid driving after 12PM unless an emergency is there. If required to then do stop after every 1 to 1 1/2 hour and gulp down some strong tea and splash your face with cold water.

Finally, ask your sleeping front passenger to hit the sack at the back and ask support to help you not doze off. If they do, threaten to drop them off on in middle of the dark highway

Take care and god bless
Mobike008

[drifter]

Fatigue kills...i had a similar experience.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...gue-kills.html

Drifter

[rks]

Originally Posted by naveendhyani

yesterday night my sister-in-law was travelling from jaipur to delhi with her friend & her family when the her friend's brother, who was behind the wheel dozed off near kotputli (20 kms towards jaipur from behror, midway), rajasthan.

the car hit the milestone head on & flipped upside down starting a small fire in the engine compartment. even though the boy was hit the worst (mostly internal injuries) he promptly came out of the car & pulled everybody out of the vehicle.

Boy? Sincerely hope he was not under-age. Late night driving should be avoided, if possible; but if absolutely essential, should be entrusted only to experienced drivers. From your description here, looks like the driver was young and inexperienced.

[naveendhyani]

Originally Posted by rks

Boy? Sincerely hope he was not under-age. Late night driving should be avoided, if possible; but if absolutely essential, should be entrusted only to experienced drivers. From your description here, looks like the driver was young and inexperienced.

he's 19-20 year young boy. even though he's above the legal age for driving i believe its a little to early to start the highways. highways are a different ball game than city driving.

@ unclesam : the good thing was they were coming up after wrapping up at their hostel which provided them with blankets to survive those chilly hours before we reached there.

[sammyboy]

Thank god everyone escaped safely Naveen.
One more practice a couple of my friends follow while doing long distance drives is drink 3-4 cans of red bull.They say it really keeps you awake ,cos of caffeine ..