Highway Endangerment: Knowing How to Remain Protected Whilst Driving

By Ethan Melandri

Driving requires you to observe and focus, especially when you are driving at high speeds like a motorway would require. Sometimes spending several hours on the same road each day can begin to get boring, and you let your guard down. Bad behaviours begin to appear when you start to feel bored while driving. It is necessary for you to keep alert assessing situations because they can change quickly, even dangerously, which requires quick reaction from you.

The largest cause of accidents on a highway has been assigned to the wrong speed for the current road conditions. When driving 70 miles per hour it requires 20 metres for you to react, and another 50 metres for you to stop. This is in a high performance vehicle, when the brakes and tyres are in perfect condition. It takes approximately 70 metres for the car to stop in an emergency situation.

This distance requires that you keep a two second space between you and the car in front. It is best to use a roadside marker, counting the time it takes you to cover this distance after the car in front of you passes it. By doing this you can determine if you have the appropriate gap between you and the other car.

Unfortunately other drivers may not be as thoughtful as you. They may pass you just to fill in that gap. It can be frustrating and potentially dangerous, but it is still up to you to maintain the proper distance of vehicles in front of you.

You may also find a driver is dangerously tailgating behind you, do not be drawn into this reckless behaviour and so, as soon as it is safe to do so, pull in and let them pass by. Remember that someone who is driving that recklessly will very likely cause an accident and you want to be nowhere near them when that happens.

The traffic situation can change very quickly on the motorway and it is very easy to come across a traffic jam before you realise. Guard against this problem by making a conscious effort to look as far ahead as possible, and if you do spot a potential hazard consider switching on your hazard warning car bulbs to warn the drivers behind you.

When driving for long periods of time your mind may begin to think of other things, leaving the driving task on autopilot. You will not have to shift gears often, or even have much input on steering. It is best to combat these feelings with a break every two hours. Service station breaks allow you to stop the fatigue and relax before continuing on.

If you still have some distance to go before you have the chance to pull off of the motorway and rest, then there are a few things you can do to help fight the fatigue. Consider turning the air conditioning down to cold or opening a window to get some fresh air onto your face. Turn up the radio or start a conversation with your passenger and switch off any driver aids, like cruise control, to sharpen up your concentration and awareness levels.

It is a cinch to relax, listen to music, and feel warm while driving. You are still required to maintain a high level of awareness and observation throughout your journey. You need to be ready for any dangers that could suddenly occur. Accidents on the motorway are often quick and fatal when a driver is reckless or they begin to have a wandering mind. - 21392

About the Author:

To help improve a driver's night time vision and safety on the motorway many cars now come fitted with HID xenon lights as standard. For cars fitted with normal headlights a new xenon range of upgrade bulbs, like the H1 car bulbs, are designed to quickly and easily replace ordinary halogen bulbs.