Planning Tips for Pongal - Beginners Tips

A fortnight back we, some friends in Ernakulam and nearby areas went on a trip to Munnar. We had the privilege to have an exceptionally brilliant driver with unmatched skills. Since I too enjoy long distance drive I enquired about the skills he has developed. He is working with a large transport company. He carries consignment across the country and abroad, to places like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afganistan etc by road. Whenever bus/truck companies release new models, they give training to drivers of the buyer company. And his company invariably sends him for training. Thus he had opportunities to undergo training at Volvo, Sania, Bharat Benz and a few international brands. He told me the following information he got from one such training. I am sharing it as I feel it is vital. _We have heard of many fatal accidents occurring since the driver dozed while behind the wheels_. The trainer told in the class that it is not so in most of those mishaps. Reasearch has revealed that most of such drivers were not sleeping. Nowadays the cars are generally air-conditioned. When we drive wih A/C on especially when the car is full, carbon dioxide fills the cabin say in 3 to 4 hours and oxygen is depleted. The driver doesn't get enough oxygen and his brain becomes dull. He suffers a sort of fatigue which adversely affects his reflexes. He obviously loses control, fails to apply breaks or do what is necessary and collides. Many times we mistake it as sleep syndrome. Solution: Ideally, we *must* halt the vehicle every three or maximum four hours, open all doors and stay in open air at least for 2 or 3 minutes and continue our drive. This would be a very defensive step in driving. You could also leave two of the rear view windows a wee bit ( say,a centimetre or,so ) open. This might reduce the efficiency of the Car AC a little, but will keep you awake and the rest of the occupants alive. Happy driving to all my friends and family.