Those who have **travelled by car** to different destinations would share the joy of the driving on Indian roads which are being built all over the country. Since the government has taken up the construction of International standard roads from North to South and East to West and the Golden quadrilateral connecting the four major cities, driving has become a pleasure.
Recently I had a 1, 070 KM trip from Mumbai to Kerala along the picturesque coastal route along the Arabian Sea. It was done in a small car, a Maruti Alto. That journey was one of the most unforgettable experiences I and my family had. You can see some of the many pictures I had taken at my site - https://maamu.itgo.com/mumker.html The return journey was along the new NH4 from Hubli onwards.
Some of the **suggestions and tips** for any similar journey are listed below:
Carry mineral **water **bottles for the whole journey.
Carry plenty of fruit **jiuces **and **biscuit** packets. A relative of mine met with a fatal accident as he felt drowsy(as told by the survivors) after drinking a cold drink from a road-side vendor.
It would be helpful if one of the passengers knew driving. The main driver could do with a break at least for 20 minutes after every two hours
Wear a **lumbar belt** for support of the lower back. A neck collar could also help.
Take a **5** minutes break to stretch your back after every two hours.
Never think that you can finish that extra mile in another ten minutes. Take a break when it is time.
Do not drive in the night. Check into a good hotel on the way when it is too dark. A friend of mine had to crash through a road block set up by thugs who were busy looting car passengers on the Delhi-Agra highway at 2 am in the morning. Don’t think the police are safe. The staff of a software company had all their liquor bottles looted by policemen near Kolhapur on NH4 when they were on their journey back from a Goa trip in a bus.
Keep all necessary tools and a good torch with all tyres including the spare, properly inflated.
Never exceed the rated tyre pressure. Get them checked at a proper place.
Carry a spare tube of a good brand. The road side tyre service guys usually keep a cheap local brand. Usually the tube gets totally damaged when run on a flat tyre and would require replacement.
Have a servicing done a few days before the journey from a authorised servicing center. Specifically mention that your would be going on a long trip.
Keep a mobile and store all emergency numbers in it. Store the main Emergency number that you would want someone to call for you, with the name **I.C.E.**(In Case of Emergency).
Carry all documents of your vehicle and ofcourse the driving licence in original with you. Retain the toll and petrol reciepts for date of travel proof in case any nosy policeman asks for you reason for being in any city outside your state.
Keep the spare key of your car on your person, say back pocket like I do - in case you forget the first key inside the car.
Always wear seat belt. My friend and his wife survived a burst tyre on Mumbai-Pune expressway just because they were wearing the seat belt. Their car got onto the road divider at a speed of 110 kmph.
Hope that these tips would be of help to many.
For very good advices for road travel, join the yahoo group whose link is given below:
https://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/indiahighways/
You can get tips on almost all roads in India on that group.