To get your trip off to a calm and happy start, make sure you know where you are going, and tell your family and friends about it. Check weather and terrain conditions along your route.

It's important to plan enough time for extra stops you might need to make-for your child, for food, or traffic jams caused by rallies of massive buffalo-cart convoys on the highway. It's usually advisable to start early in the morning have a restful night prior to your trip. That includes at least six hours of sleep to make sure you wake up without a trace of fatigue. Don't try to drive if you're suffering from a hangover (not to mention out and out inebriation). Avoid driving when you're angry or depressed. Be clothed comfortably and wear flat shoes.

Night driving is avoidable on Indian roads. If you must, though, look out for pedestrians and cyclists on narrow roads. They are hard to see because of the high beams of oncoming vehicles. Tractor-trailers and animal-drawn carts are another hazard at night, especially in fog; these ghostly objects suddenly appear on the road sans tail lamps. Most petrol pumps close down at early in the hills and along highways, so keep an eye on your fuel gauge. Be considerate and dip your headlights for oncoming vehicles. The whole idea is to see and be seen!

Be especially careful while driving in rain. Visibility can drop to a dangerously low 25 meters. Never try to move on kutcha stretches along the highway during a rainstorm, and turn on your windshield wipers before slogging through a big mud puddle. Remember that after driving through water brakes become less effective, so maintain some extra distance between your car and the one ahead of you.

In the winter, day driving is best. Fog may engulf you after sunset, and it its thick enough, fog lights become ineffectual-sometimes you can't see your own bonnet.

Driving in the hills can be a real pleasure. If you just take a bit of extra care. Going downhill, stay off the brakes as much as possible, and shift into a lower gear. (Remember that vehicles going uphill always have right of way.) Don't hit the brakes hard, because you risk locking them. Before retiring for the night in extremely low temperatures, like in Ladakh, run your engine for at least 10 minutes. Avoid using sprinklers to clean the windscreen while on high passes-the water may freeze on your windscreen.

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