With the Feast holiday expanding to 9 days, drivers have hit the roads for holidays or visits. What should drivers be attentive to when embarking on long journeys or getting ready to do so? When should you start driving? Here are some recommendations for drivers heading out on long journeys…Your seating position inside the vehicle is crucial for a safe trip. The “Proper Driving Position,” which consists of three stages to maintain vehicle control, mirror checking, and minimizing damage during an accident, must be adopted. To briefly describe this position, your leg should not be straight when pushing the pedals; instead, your knees should be slightly bent. If your legs are straight and tense when you push the pedals, you can be harmed from various points such as the thigh bone and knee in case of an accident. Similarly, it is important not to have your arms straight but slightly bent from the elbows when holding the steering wheel at an angle of 9:15. For instance, in such a position, if something suddenly appears in front of you, you may not be able to maneuver your vehicle safely to the right or left, and if your vehicle sustains a hit, the likelihood of injuries to the elbow and shoulder areas increases. One of the most crucial complementary elements of the Proper Driving Position is the headrest. Though something most drivers in our country overlook, headrests are vital equipment that prevents risky injuries and are used to support the head, especially during rest or sleep breaks at rest areas. In particular, the headrests that prevent whiplash trauma in rear-end collisions have a very short adjustment; the gap between your head and the headrest should not exceed the width of 4 fingers and its height should be close to that of your head. Drivers with a distance of one or two spans or headrests that are below the height of their head will not be safe. Opt for early morning hours to hit the road. A driver should have a good night’s sleep. On average, a driver should have 7-8 hours of sleep a night, even though there may be individual differences. As a driver, you should be aware of the danger of falling asleep if you do not remember the last few kilometers you drove, find yourself daydreaming, have difficulty keeping your eyes open, yawn frequently, have difficulty keeping your head up, find it hard to hold your head up, shake the vehicle during stops and starts. Among the symptoms displayed by such drivers are the danger of “Highway Hypnosis,” which we can describe as “open-eye sleeping.” Refrain from consuming alcohol even a day before hitting the road and ensure to sleep early. Also, avoid drugs that cause drowsiness during the journey. According to studies, drivers should be particularly alert and can drive a vehicle for a maximum of 2 hours or 150 kilometers. Therefore, determine break stops before the journey and take a 15-minute break every 150 kilometers or every 2 hours. During breaks, the driver should not sit and should take light walks. Consume plenty of water to prevent excessive heat. Especially individuals with heart, blood pressure, and diabetes should avoid driving for long periods in hot weather. Stay away from heavy, greasy foods as they may induce drowsiness. Instead, opt for soup, a small portion of white meat, and salad at rest areas. Breakdowns during long-distance travel can be stressful factors. For instance, if your tire bursts, move calmly and under control, signal, and move to the right lane without strongly pressing on the brake pedal, refrain from hurrying, turn on your hazard lights, and take caution when exiting the right door while placing the triangular reflector from the trunk between 50 and 100 meters from your location, depending on the speed of the road. Most importantly, stay away from the road and, if possible, wait behind a barrier. Traffic increases during the holidays, and many drivers with little long-distance experience venture onto intercity roads. Always keep this in mind and drive your vehicle considering that the driver in front of you or alongside you may make a mistake at any time. Opt for light and comfortable clothes instead of thick and bulky clothing. Opening a parenthesis here, I would like to emphasize a common mistake made during the summer months on long journeys: driving barefoot or even wearing flip flops poses a significant risk. In the event of an accident, the feet in flip-flops have no chance of remaining fixed and might slip off the brake pedal, which requires a sharp and strong push, causing the driver’s foot to pull off the pedal involuntarily due to the pain in the sole of the foot during hard braking, as proven by many studies. Do not use the air conditioning constantly. Refrain from going 30-40 minutes with the windows closed; neglect to ventilate the vehicle by opening the windows in intervals, increasing the oxygen level by opening the windows to prevent a concentration problem. Ensure that the airflow from the air conditioning does not directly hit your face and chest but towards the windshield. Pay attention to the tire marks that heavy tonnage vehicles like trucks and lorries usually leave on the frequently used roads. In these types of roads where heavy loads distort the asphalt and create potholes that grow in size, the driver’s control of the steering wheel may be compromised. Maintain a safe following distance, decrease your speed when driving through urban areas, and keep your daytime or low beams on. Adhere to speed limits. Buckle up and ensure that all occupants inside the vehicle do the same. Refrain from keeping items in the vehicle that may distract your attention or obstruct your view, and make sure all items are secured. Do not leave anything unfastened inside the vehicle. Pay attention to fragrances, glasses, and lighters. Remember that a half-liter water bottle can hit you with a force of up to 40 kilograms depending on your speed in the event of an accident. One of the main causes of accidents during the Feast holiday trips are risky overtakings made due to haste. Especially in roads set up for two-way traffic, follow the signs and road markings!Another cause of accidents is talking on the phone while driving. Some of our drivers believe that talking via headphones or Bluetooth provides security. However, the crucial point is not holding the phone but diverting the brain elsewhere during the conversation. Therefore, talking on the phone, whether held in the hand or connected via headphones, can lead to dangerous and deadly mistakes. Avoid if possible!In rainy regions and wet grass areas in the middle of the road, lower your speed, increase your following distance, and take precautions considering the possibility of aquaplaning (loss of partial or complete contact between tires and the road surface due to water accumulating). In areas with intense fog, such as the Bolu Mountain section, where hundreds of accidents occur annually, reduce your speed, read the road by tracking shiny signs on the road edges. Yet, do not directly follow the vehicle in front during heavy fog. Avoiding an accident cannot be guaranteed when the lead car makes a mistake, and you both may pay for it. Ensure your vehicle has undergone routine maintenance. Check that the air conditioning and ventilation systems work. Replace worn wiper blades. Also, do not forget to check the coolant level of the vehicle, especially against oil loss and heat issues. Have your vehicle battery checked. Make sure that your tires have balanced air pressure and sufficient tread depth. Drivers who still use winter tires can face much danger, particularly in terms of braking distance and control. Vehicles can lose control easily, skid in corners, and experience significant increases in braking distances. Do not mess around with tire pressures. Do not make mistakes by lowering and raising tire pressures on long journeys! Stick to the values provided by the manufacturer. Now, let’s touch upon the part of the journey involving babies and children! Ensuring that vehicle occupants remain fixed in their seats is the most important aspect that guarantees their survival in the event of an accident. Therefore, it is essential for adults to be seatbelted, and babies and children to be placed in appropriate car seats and properly fastened. Do not allow babies and children to watch you buckle them up; lock the seat belt buckle when they look the other way, as the new generation’s smart babies and children can learn how to buckle and unbuckle the seat belts before you even realize and unbuckle their seat belts unknowingly. Especially, do not let the crying of babies and children during the seating and belt-fastening process lead you to do wrong things! For instance, never pick up any baby during travel just because they are crying.