Few people go on long-distance driving trips. Those that do usually are moving across the country for various reasons. Knowing how to do so properly isn’t as easy as you’d think. Mistakes can be made that could delay or ruin the experience.
By knowing a few tips and tricks, however, you can avoid that completely.
Eat Right
You’ll need to eat on your long-distance driving tip. While you can pick up almost any food for short trips, that isn’t the case for longer ones. How truck drivers can eat healthier might be something to consider, as they’re typically focused on eating healthy while on the road.
It’s recommended that you avoid foods high in sugar. While these can give you an energy boost, they could also lead to a sugar crash. You wouldn’t want that while you’re driving. Salads and fruit are some of the better-recommended options. Bananas can release a lot of energy slowly, so you should consider that for longer trips.
Avoiding spikes in energy is a necessity on the road, primarily because of the sugar crash. That’ll lead to tiredness, which can make driving much more difficult.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting a good sleep before a day of driving is essential. That’s primarily because it will make sure you’re alert throughout the day, which will prevent any crashes. If you haven’t slept enough, then you could suffer from ‘micro-sleeps.’
In short, these are temporary lapses in focus. When driving, that could be dangerous, so you’ll naturally want to avoid it. If you are traveling for several days at a time, then you should properly plan out where you’ll stop and sleep.
You should aim to get at least eight hours. Knowing when you’ll arrive somewhere in the evening or night can then help you plan your sleep, alongside the following morning’s departure.
Take Regular Breaks
You’d be surprised by how tired you can get driving. You wouldn’t suffer from this during short trips, although it will be a large issue with long-distance driving trips. While getting enough sleep avoids much of this, you’ll still need to take breaks. Staying alert is only one reason why.
Stopping in certain places will let you have a more enjoyable experience, as you can take in more of the sites. It’ll also give you a chance to stretch your legs and spend some time out of the car. If you plan this outright, you can also have something to eat while you’re stopped.
Toilet breaks should also be worked into this. While these breaks don’t need to be long, they should be relatively frequent.
Further Research
The Hendy Car & Van Store has more information about driver fatigue.
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Tiredness is one of the biggest killers in driving accidents. In 2019, 1,738 people lost their lives on UK roads – 300 of those deaths were as a result of someone falling asleep while driving.
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Young drivers are arguably the most at risk, with 29% stating they have started a journey when already feeling tired.
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To combat this, awareness of the effects of driving while tired needs to be increased. Driving after 24 hours awake has the same impact on the brain as someone with a blood alcohol content of 0.1%, above the 0.08% legal limit in the UK.
Wrapping Up
There are a wealth of benefits to long-distance driving trips. That’s only if you’re prepared and know what you’re doing. If not, you could find yourself taking many more stops than you’d think. You could also increase your chances of getting into a crash.
Taking advantage of all of the above, alongside a few other useful tips, will make sure that that’s the case. Why wouldn’t you want your trip to be safe and enjoyable? Keep each of those tips in mind when you’re planning your trip.
