[jeetumg27]

Some of my DNDs (do’s and dont’s)

-Contrary to many members opinions here, I am quite okay with people eating in the car, as I too love to eat or snack on the go.
- Since I run a remote work digital agency, a lot of my online meetings happen in the car as at times I find it tedious or not worth it to go and sit in a cafe. I have a Mac car charger and prefer to just find a good spot and work.
- A golden rule that has saved me many times: try to watch 2 cars ahead of you. This rule has saved me several times, especially during emergency braking.
- Patience and giving way, it’s okay to stop and allow the tangled mess of traffic to clear up before you. Don’t allow the impatient person honking behind you to get to your nerves.
- Check the mirrors alignment and I recommend using the small Blind spot mirrors. Don’t let any luggage on the parcel tray block the rear vision. I prefer keeping the rear view at left three-quarters.
- Go smooth and fast - I often remember this line “Hot knife through butter” - somehow it’s like an OCD to make sure the passengers feel minimum discomfort and jerks.
-Another OCD, to try and stick to the lane whenever lane markers are visible (mumbai roads have some of the worst and confusing lane markers)

[Mystic]

I agree all the previous views and I also mostly follow them and hence I want to narrate which are not yet mentioned:

1. I never drive alone on long drives. Mostly my wife accompanies me. She keeps attention on me and road and advises if I need water or gets into a conversation when she thinks the road is becoming monotonous and I may feel drowsy.
2. Praying by my wife (I just watch her) before starting is a must with a flower to the small statue of God on the car dashboard. At every huge hanuman statue which are common on Indian highways, a namaskaram is a must in that direction.
3. We make sure that we change the favourites on Amazon prime music one night before the drive so that we don't have to struggle during the drives and it is not repetitive from previous drives.
4. I never go above the 3 digits speed on Indian highways. There are too many variables and surprises on the roads.
5. No sleeping, browsing internet on phone and reading books allowed in my car by all passengers. I insist everyone to enjoy the road and the surroundings always.
6. After heavy lunch, when feeling drowsy, I stop at a crowded coffee place and walk for some 10 minutes. Walking makes the drowsiness go away.
7. I usually like detours from major highways unless I am in a hurry. I enjoy drive through villages.
8. I donot blindly follow google maps. I spend some time on the route the previous day. Once, Google maps put us in a longer route by 2 hours and we did not realise it until later. Google explanation for the long route is that road was closed. The closure is an old news and Google maps is not updated. It is always advisable to talk to someone if an alternative route is pushed to us without option.
9. Recently on my temple tour in remote villages, my Jimny got stuck in a muddy road but we came out safely due to Google maps pushing us to a narrow road which is OK for only 2 wheelers. It would have been a nightmare for sedans.

[quad_exhaust]

Most of the crucial points have already been highlighted. Here are a few from my side:

1. Never cut off or try to overtake a heavy vehicle from their left. Especially in city traffic.

2. Remember to refill the windshield washer fluid.

3. Focus on the road ahead of you. Don't let anything distract you for more than two seconds.

[venkat_partha]

This is quiet a list. My 10p worth:

When I feel drowsy, I always have some very salty snack. This wakes me up. Your mileage may vary (ymmv).

[glovins2004]

After driving for more than two decades, I finally realized there is nothing to prove a point on the highway either by speeding or unnecessary overtakes. So, if some one wants to overtake you, let them, but at the same time don’t be lame to your right of way.

[Jupizire]

My rules:
1. I respect bigger vehicles and just give way to them. My Dzire can't just match for the power and grunt of most other cars. I mean I respect all the vehicles and give way as necessary, but just extra conscious of the bigger vehicles.

2. Learnt through experience and mistakes that the total journey time needs to be optimised (minimized) and not the short and momentary stretches. So I have stopped flooring the A pedal just to cover 100m fast, if I sense that anyway I would be stopping after 100m due to signal or traffic.

3. Don't tailgate an ambulance. In the past I took advantage of tail gating an ambulance just to zip through the traffic. But realised that there are 50 more such idiots trying to do the same. Didn't want to make it a 'survival of the fittest' kind of contest and hence stopped doing that altogether.

4. Give way at an unmanned crossroad - this makes it easier for everyone involved rather than blocking everyone just to get past first. Sadly this common sense is very uncommon and scarce.

5. Don't go on wrong way how much ever tempting it is.

[microscopic]

1. No honking unless necessary
2. No abrupt stopping at any of the passenger's request. Always run a bit more with traffic flow and come to a gentle stop (even if that ends up in having to take a U-turn a few hundred meters away).
3. Used to have no eating inside the car rule before. After having kids, this can't be really adhered to.
4. Lane change in highways only after indicating.
5. Prefer to drive without music when driving alone as I like to hear the car. With family or friends, music can be on.
6. Not go beyond 90 kmph except while overtaking.
7. No hurried overtaking. Also, no overtaking when the view of road in front of the vehicle being overtaken is not visible.
8. Take a break, stretch and drink water every 100 km. Also, do a walk around the car to check everything is in place.
9. Use dipper when a vehicle comes in opposite lane (mostly applicable for two-lane state highways)
10. Finally, never let any other person in the road get under your skin. Be relaxed. It's only a drive.

[asingh1977]

1. Never above 60 km/h in the city. (only known roads)
2. Mostly stay under 50 km/h.
3. Prefer to take a known road even if some other suggestion points to an unknown route with less time.
4. No music when taking roundabouts. (to much happens in an extremely limited space)
5. Yield.
6. Never road banter with any vehicle of commercial category.
7. Don't loose cool over the lack of use of turn signals thereon.
8. No disembarkment by passengers till I say so.
9. Always reverse park. Even if it takes grossly longer.
10. Headlights on in basements ++ turn signals.
11. Highest priority (right of way) to: people, two wheelers, vehicles. Respectively.
12. Avoid eye contact.
13. Never move too fast from stationary on a red light. The single most point where stupidity can occur from almost 8-9 directions, unprecedented, unexpected, mouth open -- 'OH really' possibilities. The most strict and manned junctions have the highest account of traffic violation. So am super careful.
14. Low beam--always.

[ThorTheThar]

I'm writing the following pointers I keep in mind when driving. I use permutations and combinations depending on highway or city drives. For context, I have driven relatively extensively, and faced many situations that expanded the list over time.

Vehicle

• Clean windshields, headlights, brake lights, indicators.
• Basic fluid check
• Air-pressure check (including spare wheel)
• Tools that came with the vehicle, at least
• If available, a quick run-through from the vehicle's in-built diagnostics for any alerts or warnings
• When stopping for a break, a quick glance at the under-carriage for fluid leaks or strays taking shelter
• No night drives unless absolutely necessary

Self, Safety, Situation

• No altercations unless life or death
• Co-driver always buckled up; rear seats buckled-up when napping
• Compulsory water, dry packaged food, basic meds apart from first-aid, sunglasses (glare from hot tarmac on a sunny day is a pain)
• Clarity on route (waypoints' identification, and a general sense of cardinal directions)
• No hesitation in asking for directions
• When indeed asking for directions, seem confident, composed and assertive (not impolite)
• One concealable tool-of-choice for protecting oneself
• Safety over convenience

[Vtecofadown]

My personal rules I follow every drive/ride:

• Leave enough space. Space = Safety
• Hazards on while emergency braking
• Avoid horn as much as possible. Courtesy horns only to warn oblivious bikers. A horn-free drive is so much more relaxing.
• Handbrake on and foot off the brake at signals. It baffles me how many people have their foot on the brake pedal for over a minute. It is also annoying for the person behind. Especially with modern LED taillights.
• If you cant see the road with low beam, you are going too fast.
• Stay in the right gear. Use the power band once a while.
• Use engine braking before getting on brakes if its safe to do so. Especially on motorcycles. Perfect heel toe shifts are too satisfying and you are missing out. Less time on the clutch the better.
• Look at the wheels of heavy vehicles (or any vehicle in general). If they are moving towards the lane marking, they might be changing lanes and it is better to ease off the throttle and be cautious.
• Smooth is fast
• Keep the car in your lane. Highways are designed to maintain the speed limit even in the turns. Hard braking mid turn is a recipe for disaster.
• Slow speed is more important than going fast on 2 wheels
• Check your mirrors before hard braking. It might save you from getting rear ended.
• It is what it is. Minor fender benders and bumps in traffic are part of driving in India. If it is nothing major just keep moving there is nothing you can do.
• And last but not the least, Look where you want to go!!!
  

[drGicher]

My rules of driving:

1. Stick to the speed limits on highway.
2. Maintain a large gap between vehicles on highway.
3. Navigation ON on larger routes event hough the route is known.
4. No abusing the vehicle, love and respect it.
5. For longer routes, plan the route from maps, Google maps is good in this as it always highlights any road closures, blocks etc.

[abhishek.vnit]

All of my driving rules are already listed by one or the other post.
The first aid kit can come in very handy. I learnt the hard way when my daughter had a fall in one of our vacations and I was left helpless with the default car provided first aid kit's inadequacy, that one needs a comprehensive first aid kit, especially when travelling long distances (1100+ km in a day at times) with kids and away from home.

Let me attempt to list the contents of my in-car first aid kit:
1. The first aid kit box itself (Procured mine from Amazon)
2. Antiseptic liquid (50 ml Savlon/Dettol or equivalent)
3. Medicated cotton
4. Antiseptic powder (I prefer Betadine powder)
5. Hand sanitizer (50 ml gel or few single use sachets to clean hands before using anything else in the kit)
6. A few band aids (these are the fastest to get over in my experience)
7. Dressing gauze
8. Dressing tape
9. ORS sachet (Temporary aid to nearest hospital in case a highway snack messes with digestion)
10. Pudin Hara tablets
11. Sporlac sachets (helps with same issues as in case 9)
11. Paracetamol tablets (For that odd ache or sudden fever on long journeys)
12. Vicks vaporub (Kids can develop a cold on a long journey)
13. Pain relief gel/cream (Backache anyone?)
14. Fast card (Never know when a hotel on the highway also hosts mosquitos as well)
15. Ondem MD tablets (Mouth dissolving tablets in case someone feels nauseous on the route)

All of the above are selected to be compact, yet effective to handle most common issues faced during long trips and visits to tourist places to tackle health challenges arising while inside as well as outside the car. I leave the first aid kit in the car dashboard where it doesn't get too hot when the car is parked in the open.