Time for a break

No one can go on driving for hours on end without its affecting his concentration and making him a potential danger on the road. And that means you, too! However good a driver you are, you must get out from behind the wheel and relax at regular intervals. Apart from the danger aspect, if you don't you will arrive at your destination tired and stiff.

How often you need to stop on long car journeys, and for how long, varies according to your personal make-up.

Professional drivers know their limits from experience, and you will soon learn yours. There are certain warning signs which the body transmits which mean "Stop" — including muscular tension building up in your neck or the small of your back, difficulty in keeping your eyes open, slowness in noticing and reacting to traffic signs and other vehicles, and so on. These are signs you cannot afford to ignore.

Sometimes, if you are a passenger in someone else's car, you may notice that the driver is yawning, or stretching, or shifting about in the seat to ease his muscles. Don't wait for him to suggest a break, suggest one yourself.

Children in the car call for special consideration. Toddlers need a 10-minute break after the first hour of a long journey, a longer break after the second hour, and so on. When you are planning your route, work out your halts too. Then, if the young passengers get restless, you can cheer them up by telling them how soon the next break will be.

When you stop, get out in the fresh air and exercise your muscles. You'll be surprised how much fresher this will make you feel. The kind of exercise we are talking about is not touching your toes twenty times amid oil spots and old tin cans on the side of a busy road! Even on motorways, you should be able to use the service areas to get your car off the road and enable you to go for a short walk. But don't rush into violent exercise the minute you disembark. Stretch thoroughly first, and take a few deep breaths. Then follow the exercise plan shown opposite. It will take about ten minutes, and leave you in fine form for a game of "catch" with the children before re-starting your journey!

Our first exercise may seem passive, but it's important because it helps your circulation and breathing to adjust to being out of the car. Just stand still, breathe deeply a few times and stretch...

The second exercise is intended to relax the muscles in your neck and back. Put your hands behind your head and swing the top half of your body from left to right for about a minute. Take it gently — the object of these exercises is to relax, not exhaust you.

Exercise three — spend a few minutes jogging on the spot alternating with short sharp sprints. Get your breath back before you go on to the next exercise!

Exercise four — bending those knees! This is the classic way to relax cramped leg muscles after sitting for a long time in the same position. Five or six deep bends should iron out any creases.

Exercise five-star leaps. Bend your knees until your hands touch the ground. Now leap into the air with your arms and legs stretched out. Ten star leaps are ample.

Exercise six — bend over from the waist with your left hand on your knee and your right hand stretched out in front of you. Swing the top half of your body slowly from side to side about ten times and then change hands.

Exercise seven — skipping. This will also be popular with child passengers, no doubt! Twenty skips will get you back on your toes, and help the waistline!
Exercise eight — this takes longer than any of the others, but is the least tiring. It consists of. … doing nothing! Just relax, look about you at what we hope is a lovely view, and breathe deeply. When you are completely relaxed, you are ready to drive again.