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Hi guys as suggested by rash_rp. I am listing those things which I believe are necessary before, while & after a long drive & hope that it will give a first timer an idea about how to prepare for a long drive. These points are not for bikes as I haven't ridden a bike on a long way (I mean who would call a mumbai-pune trip a long ride 
) This article is generic in nature & some points of it may or may not be applicable.
Preparations Before The Journey
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1) Vehicle Check up: I will skip the regular check tyre pressure, engine tune up, electricals check up stuff which all of us know.
2) Get a good Map: There are various maps & map books available, ideally get map book which will have all the states map which can be used for all of your future journeys & a big map of the state to\thru which you will be going\passing. the map books give you quick reference & an approx distance while the detailed big map will give you more details & almost accurate distances between various destinations. If possible mark your way i.e. the one which you have decided to go with a marker for easy reading while traveling. they sometime also have location of fuel pumps & eat out places (state tourism restaurants) which again can be marked. One such good map books is by 'ttk'
3) Schedule your journey: Yeah using the map schedule your days of journey how much you would be traveling in a day & where will you be putting at nights. You must schedule it in such a manner that you always reach a place where you can lodge (preferably a city) before your sleeping time i.e. avoid being mid way at nights you must be near towns at night.
What Stuff To Carry?
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[u]
On The Road
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1) Follow the signs: Very important especially in case of road diversions.
2) Driving at Nights: As said try driving at night only on the roads known to you( by that I mean where you have been before). Driving at night has its own advantages & disadvantages here they are
[u][u][u]Some of the signaling techniques used on highway</u>
a) Most of the bus\truck drivers who are going at constant speeds keep their right indicator blinking, this means that the person from behind may not need to honk & can simply overtake that bus\truck
b) Never overtake any vehicle without getting a clear signal from him the signal could be either a right go ahead signal or a right indicator, he may also ask you not to overtake & that could be due to various reasons such as an oncoming vehicle, he might himself be trying to overtake a vehicle in front of it
c) After overtaking try to give a left indicator if you are going back to the left most lane this is necessary specially in those cases where your overtaking a vehicle & the oncoming vehicle is nearing you fast.
d) an exemption to point b could be that sometimes when you can see that there is no oncoming traffic & the vehicle in front of you is not giving you any pass signal to go ahead, you can safely overtake it as he may not be giving signal due to no oncoming traffic
e) Use headlight pass switch for overtaking & also for stopping or slowing an oncoming vehicle which is overtaking & you feel is coming direct towards you
f) Use proper high or low beam while driving
g) You may keep your headlights on in daytime if you are on a road where you have to overtake frequently
h) Do not honk unnecessarily if the vehicle in front of you gets pissed then he may not let you overtake [}
]
7) Maintain a trip log: Again good for cherishing the memories & very helpful for future journeys & can be used as reference by you as well as others, the thing that can be recorded are
- Fueling at respective odo readings ( will help in finding cost per Km or mileage)
- Places to eat, refuel & watch out for beautiful sceneries
- Road condition on different patches
- No of national highways covered i.e. NH-17, etc
- Time taken between various destinations & for the whole journey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this serves the purpose, please feel free to add your own suggestions & I will also update it as & when I remember any more points
Techno
) This article is generic in nature & some points of it may or may not be applicable.Preparations Before The Journey
-------------------------------------
1) Vehicle Check up: I will skip the regular check tyre pressure, engine tune up, electricals check up stuff which all of us know.
2) Get a good Map: There are various maps & map books available, ideally get map book which will have all the states map which can be used for all of your future journeys & a big map of the state to\thru which you will be going\passing. the map books give you quick reference & an approx distance while the detailed big map will give you more details & almost accurate distances between various destinations. If possible mark your way i.e. the one which you have decided to go with a marker for easy reading while traveling. they sometime also have location of fuel pumps & eat out places (state tourism restaurants) which again can be marked. One such good map books is by 'ttk'
3) Schedule your journey: Yeah using the map schedule your days of journey how much you would be traveling in a day & where will you be putting at nights. You must schedule it in such a manner that you always reach a place where you can lodge (preferably a city) before your sleeping time i.e. avoid being mid way at nights you must be near towns at night.
What Stuff To Carry?
-------------------------
[u]
On The Road
---------------
1) Follow the signs: Very important especially in case of road diversions.
2) Driving at Nights: As said try driving at night only on the roads known to you( by that I mean where you have been before). Driving at night has its own advantages & disadvantages here they are
[u][u][u]Some of the signaling techniques used on highway</u>
a) Most of the bus\truck drivers who are going at constant speeds keep their right indicator blinking, this means that the person from behind may not need to honk & can simply overtake that bus\truck
b) Never overtake any vehicle without getting a clear signal from him the signal could be either a right go ahead signal or a right indicator, he may also ask you not to overtake & that could be due to various reasons such as an oncoming vehicle, he might himself be trying to overtake a vehicle in front of it
c) After overtaking try to give a left indicator if you are going back to the left most lane this is necessary specially in those cases where your overtaking a vehicle & the oncoming vehicle is nearing you fast.
d) an exemption to point b could be that sometimes when you can see that there is no oncoming traffic & the vehicle in front of you is not giving you any pass signal to go ahead, you can safely overtake it as he may not be giving signal due to no oncoming traffic
e) Use headlight pass switch for overtaking & also for stopping or slowing an oncoming vehicle which is overtaking & you feel is coming direct towards you
f) Use proper high or low beam while driving
g) You may keep your headlights on in daytime if you are on a road where you have to overtake frequently
h) Do not honk unnecessarily if the vehicle in front of you gets pissed then he may not let you overtake [}
]7) Maintain a trip log: Again good for cherishing the memories & very helpful for future journeys & can be used as reference by you as well as others, the thing that can be recorded are
- Fueling at respective odo readings ( will help in finding cost per Km or mileage)
- Places to eat, refuel & watch out for beautiful sceneries
- Road condition on different patches
- No of national highways covered i.e. NH-17, etc
- Time taken between various destinations & for the whole journey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this serves the purpose, please feel free to add your own suggestions & I will also update it as & when I remember any more points
Techno
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