Top 11 things you should remember while driving on Highways

Revisit your checklist

Inspect your car thoroughly and get it checked by a mechanic if needed. Driver’s license, Vehicle insurance, road tax, pollution certificate, toolkit and spare wheel, keep it all handy before starting your journey. Also, don’t forget to check for air pressure and fuel tank.

Don’t drive while you are fatigued

Do not drive if you are feeling tired. This would be an adverse injustice to yourself and your fellow passengers. While driving, make sure you are fully alert and in an active state. Avoid starting your trip at night. Night times often have poor visibility and higher crime rate.

Don’t overload

Overloading the vehicle either with passengers or luggage negatively impacts its performance. Also, in case of any mishaps, the casualty effects are much bigger. Pack light, travel light!

Lane Discipline

The biggest mool mantra of driving on the highways is to stay in your own lane. The left one is for the slow-moving vehicles and the right one is made to overtake. Maintain a constant speed and try sticking to your lane without confusing other drivers by zigzagging all over.

Honking Etiquette

Now there is no hard and fast rule for that. But trucks and buses generally respond to honking only. At night, it is better to use a dipper. For all the other vehicles, don’t become that annoying person who keeps irritating others on the road by honking continuously. Be patient and find our own way.

Cater to defined restrictions

Keep in mind the speed limit for the route you are taking. You can do your homework beforehand and be aware of the speed limit that specific highway allows. The highways/expressways nowadays are well versed with camera visions and an over speeding ticket could be issued to you the very next moment.

Keep safe distance between vehicles

Since highway traffic can be pretty unpredictable, there might be a situation wherein the vehicle ahead of you suddenly hits the brakes. If you maintain a safe distance, it will ensure you get enough time to brake or avoid a collision. You can follow the 3-second rule-look for a bridge or signboard as your reference point, and check how much time you take to get there after the car ahead of you passes it. It is advisable to keep this time at 3 seconds at least, and it should increase to 5 seconds at night. You have to exert more caution when driving through heavy rains or fog.

Avoid Night Driving:

Avoid driving on highways at night, if possible. If at all you must, make sure you have proper visibility. Your windshields should be clean and all the lights should be in proper working condition. Aim the headlights as per your seating position; remember not to set them too high, or they might disturb motorists ahead of you. You need to be much more alert when driving on a highway at night, since most truck and bus drivers are drowsy after daylong driving and may have slower reactions than you would expect.

Don’t ignore the road signs

Safer trips generally fall into the zone of strict road sign followers. Some of the important signs to pay attention to are traffic merge, narrow lanes, railway crossings or the construction work in progress. Also, avoid any sort of sudden actions such as sudden brakes or overtaking or changing over to another lane. Make your moves gradually and eventually taking into consideration all the surrounding traffic factors.

In the Event of a Breakdown

Learn some basic repairs such as changing a flat tyre in case of an emergency. In case of something major, pull over safely, turn over the hazard warning lights and call for roadside assistance or seek help from other people on the road.

Keeping your Calm

Trust us, no one is interested in winning a racing event with you on the road. So, stop proving your driving skills and put them to better use rather. Do not get agitated by other’s behaviour and maintain your calm while driving.
Save some of your most common yet sudden hiccups by remembering these small yet important things while taking your next drive over the Expressways/Highways. Happy Revving!