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-   -   What are your rules of driving? A list of Dos and Don’ts when you’re driving (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/283515-what-your-rules-driving-list-dos-don-ts-when-you-re-driving.html)

The way people use their cars is different for everyone. For some, it’s their everyday commuter and for some, their car is only used for weekend leisure trips. The purpose may be different for everyone, but everyone usually has some set of rules when they are driving a car. It may be small or big, but it just puts one’s mind at ease. Here are some of the rules that I try and make sure are followed by me and the people travelling with me.

Seatbelts for all passengers – This may seem basic, but a lot of people still find reasons to not wear a seatbelt. Especially in the rear seat. While I am a defensive driver myself, Indian roads are quite unpredictable. I make it a point to ask everyone in the car to wear a seatbelt. Most of the time everyone obliges, but sometimes they don’t.


Driver decides the schedule – Road trips are fun and since I am usually the one driving, I prefer that I decide the schedule. I’m usually very flexible with what to do at the destination and am mostly in the ‘go-with-the-flow’ mood. But anything related to the journey is planned by me and I make the decisions if I am driving. If someone else is driving (extremely rare), I don’t mind adhering to their schedule.


A friend of mine who isn’t a morning person at all, left at 4:30 AM from Mumbai for a road trip due to peer pressure and ended up sleeping at the wheel on the highway. Thankfully, it was a minor accident and no one got hurt. The driver knows how attentive he / she can be while driving, so it’s best if he / she decides.

No Road Rage – After spending enough time on the roads, I’ve reached a point where the stupidity of others on the road doesn’t bother me as much. Road rage escalates if both parties are enraged. Most of the time if one party is calm and willing to douse the situation, the other party also reciprocates. Recently I was in a minor accident where the other driver was at fault and while I was angry, didn't escalate the matter with road rage.


Give way – Further to the previous point, it doesn’t hurt to just be patient once in a while and let some car pass so that the jam behind can clear off. So many times you will find that people get themselves stuck in situations that could be solved by just one of them giving way.

Playlist – I used to be very protective of the kind of music that plays when I drive. Especially on long drives. But this doesn’t bother me anymore. Some of my friends are still very particular about curating a playlist for the drive.


Smooth driving – In the early years of driving, it was all about the excitement of driving and hence I used to try and drive as quickly as possible. Even when there were passengers with me. While I had fun, everyone with me would be either irritated or sick. Later on, learned about smooth driving techniques. As they say, "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast". No sudden accelerations or brakes, smooth steering. Basically no unnecessary jerks for me or the passengers. It’s just a better driving experience for everyone.

Snacking – I usually avoid having any food while driving and prefer that the passengers don’t eat as well. It’s just a hassle to clean up afterwards. But this is a rule I can’t enforce all the time. Some finger snacks are okay, but no big meals in the car. It’s just too messy.


Do share some of your rules that you have when on the road.

- Keep a gap / buffer all around your car, at all times. I don't like any side of the car getting too close to others. There is always a gap I maintain on the front & sides (rear is hard to maintain as its dependent on the guy behind).

- Good music is a must-have :thumbs up...a necessity as much as the fuel in the tank.

- Agreed with you on smooth driving. Smooth inputs all around = steering, changing lanes, gearshifts, braking. Even when I drive fast, I drive smooth.

- Respect your car. No abusing your machine.

- Too many idiots on our roads, especially with the rise of yellow plates (Uber, Ola, Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, delivery trucks). Don't let anyone get under your skin. In a 30 minute drive in Bombay - without exaggeration - I see 45 people breaking some rule or the other. Laugh it off.

- My golden rule of driving = avoid traffic as much as you can. I never go to Bandra (my favourite area) on weekday evenings; only Sat or Sunday brunches there. Early morning drives on the highway & around Bombay are bliss :). As are dinners toward town, especially so with the new coastal road. If I have to travel during rush hour in traffic, I call for an Uber Premium and work from the passenger seat on my laptop.

Here’s my two cents on the rules I adhere to being the only long distance driver in my family. These rules are followed irrespective if it’s a couple of hours long city drive or a 800ish kms mile munching on our semi yearly hometown trips.

1) Nothing other than light dry snacks to be eaten inside the car. Chips or something on those lines or a chocolate bar is fine but am totally against people eating inside my car. Might sound harsh but saves me the trouble of cleaning the odour and stains later. No smoking inside the car either!

2) No sitting with your legs on the seat or dashboard. Luckily my better half herself doesn’t have those habits but I’d hate if anyone reclined and sat in my car with their feet on the seat or the dashboard!

3) Windows need to stay up and shut unless someone is feeling car sick! Luckily my family agrees with me on this. All the windows rolled up and AC on with re circulation of fresh air from outside in the cabin is all we need on those 1000km ish drives. Helps better aero dynamics at expressway speeds and keeps the dark interiors dust free!

4) Contrary to popular beliefs I encourage my passengers to doze off if they want to even the front passenger which is usually my wife as I enjoy driving and munching miles at my own quick pace with all my attention on the road without having to interact much with the passengers. My wife is happy to oblige with her beauty sleep on that one!

5) On longish road trips prefer having the food pitstops planned in advance instead of stopping at any random restaurant as it creates more confusion and split opinions amongst passengers.

6) Am a fairly pedal to the metal driver but never abuse my machines! I believe that everything is built with a specific reason or use case. Case in point you’d often see me putting my humble Swift through the paces against say a I20 or a Slavia but never against say high range sedans. I’d only be ruining my Swift’s engine making her run at 95% of her performance capacity against say a C class as compared to say 60% of her performance capacity putting her to pace against a hatchback or mid sized sedans!

Find the right speed and keep a steady pace. On highways there will always be clear opportunity for overtakes and no major time is saved by zigzag high speed driving.


For the vehicle:
Check the tyre pressure, oil levels, fuel, fill washer fluid.

For passengers:
Bottles of drinking water on the door sides. Chewy mouth freshners like mentos. Some fruits like apple and oranges that don't create a mess.
Plan for food and bio brakes in advance specially when ladies are on the trip.

I avoid:

The need to check rear view mirrors
Brake wear
Rear end collisions
Drowsiness

by being the fastest on the road. rl:

1. Never drive such that others have to brake for you, because you never know whether they will brake or not. Although this looks like an idealistic rule but avoiding other cars to brake hard because of me makes me safe.

2. I hate to drive with too many vehicles near my car. I try to get out of the situation.

3. I hate when people tell me how to drive my car or give unnecessary advice or instructions, it actually distracts me.

4. I don't like people eating anything in my car, although I have become a little bit tolerant.

5. Loud songs or loud talk in the car irritates me because then I am not hearing to any abnormal noises and also distracts me. I even go to the extent to tell my passengers to be quiet while driving through dangerous ghats etc. and to be more considerate of the driving situation I am in. I hate to drive with toddlers or over energetic kids if someone cannot keep them under control.

6. I love when passengers including the one on the front seat is asleep because then I can drive in peace!

7. I avoid heavy meals in spite of me being a foodie, as it makes me drowsy.

8. I hate when people ask for frequent stops or take too much time in breaks. Because I would like to drive slowly and spend more time on the wheel compensating for the slower speeds.

9. Although I drive at speeds between 100 to 110 kmph sometimes 120 kmph but its not by choice its because I have to cover long distances. Anything above 90 kmph drains me because I have to increase my intensity of vigilance on the road. This is especially true for heavy highway traffic.

10. I always prefer roads with tolls and more so with dividers, its less taxing on my body similar to as mentioned in above point. It also helps me cover distances faster.

11. Seat belts are compulsory but nowadays due to her age issues I allow my mom to sleep flat on the rear seat. I drive slowly when she is sleeping on the back seat.

12. I prefer tyre pressure on the higher side of allowable limit when going for long drives.

13. I do not drive at constant speed contrary to others, I drive fast when I have good stretch of highways. I drive slowly when highways are congested and when I my energy levels are down. I witness different levels of my bodies level to focus on road at different times of the day and I adjust my speed accordingly.

14. I like to avoid night driving especially on undivided roads and those highways which pass through remote areas because in nights animals are more relaxed and cross highways without thinking much. Unfortunately, I know I have already killed two dogs till now and I want to avoid more bad karma.

15. I avoid braking hard because of the constant fear of someone rear ending me, but many a times I find the braking was not sufficient and I hit the rumblers / speed breakers harder than expected.

16. I make way for other cars to overtake me or give way to avoid risky situations getting created. I also honk during turns and while overtaking each vehicle because I have often caught drivers unaware that I am trying to overtake them. I also use blinkers on highway to let others know which lane I intend to move to. I also reciprocate the courtesy to dip my headlights for oncoming vehicles convenience.

17. In spite of me being scammed and money withdrawn, I have learnt to keep sufficient balance in FastTag to avoid issues at the toll.

Two rules to survive (literally) on Indian roads:

1) Don't try to mess with anything that has yellow plates.

2) Never forget Rule no. 1.

As I have been driving regularly on highways for more than a decade here are my learnings

DONTs
1) Never drive after sunset. At max it's 7pm. Used to do mid night drives before for the peaceful roads. But pretty soon realised how dangerous it can be and how stupid I was.
2) Never drive on bald tyres. Don't be stingy when it comes to tyres. 90 percent of whole driving experience is defined by tyres.
3) Don't mess with Bus drivers. They don't give a damn! Put your ego aside.
4) Don't bother cruising at high speeds. It's pointless. Trust me! More than a decade experience on this.

DOs
1) Do buy a high quality dashcam. Has saved me 3-4 times.
2) Do take frequent breaks.
3) Do carry first aid kit in the car. Buy one from Amazon.

I get in one of my cars and just drive and enjoy.

The one thing I do enjoy is a clean car, inside and outside. So when I go on a tour, I will always spend considerable time cleaning, polishing and waxing. And sorting tools and parts.

Jeroen

1. Start early to avoid traffic, FRESH from a sleep / nap.

2. I avoid eating heavy meals during the middle of a long trip. Just drink plenty of water.

3. Periodic breaks at decent petrol pumps only.

4. Acceleration and upshifts in a linear way. Like a WAP 7 pulling a 24 coach ICF rake. Jerk free and devoid of the push in the seat feeling.

5. Deceleration involves plenty of engine braking.

6. Cruising speeds lesser by 15-20 kmph on cement roads.

7. Rule 4 applies only when parents or anyone elderly are accompanying. Otherwise, it is different. Like 60 in 2nd and then block shift direct to the 5th.

8. I don't like anything to be eaten inside the car, however no one else cares.

9. I don't mind fellow passengers to take a nap / sleep at any point in the drive.

10. I am a slow starter. I take at least 50-70 kilometers to get in the "mood" of driving. And these early kilometers are done very slowly. I firmly believe that fully synthetic oils take that much time to warm up. Once I get into the mood, 1000 km/d is easy.

11. I am yet to find a sturdy mobile holder that can be placed on the steering pad. Do not prefer it on the dashboard, center console or on the A Pillar. It is very frustrating to take directions from the co-passenger. He/she see the Maps in their phone and then tell me. Just does not make the cut.

A contradiction in a dozen words - nice :)

Cheers

One more thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post. And this has been very handy in many situations for self and others around you. Consult your family doctor for the med names that suite your family and keep an eye for expiry date.

I always have a small pack of general use meds in my glove box apart from the mandatory first aid kit.

for:
1- Headache and fever
2- Muscle relaxant spray or gel
3- Vomiting and Loose-motion tablets
4- Acidity

Few rules that I follow :

1. Dont do speedbursts unless the stretch ahead is super visible and empty enough
2. Give way to powerful/faster vehicles.
3. DON'T give way to people who want to cut you off.
4. Get the hazard lights on while an Ambulance comes behind. Move to that lane where the Ambulance isn't there and give way.
5. If an animal crosses, do not swerve / brake hard to avoid it unless its safe enough.
6. Dont honk in school/hospital zones.
7. Switch to neutral and start coasting when you see red signal ahead.