Please drive carefully when you drive in foreign countries!

honeymouse SG

Yesterday, 2 Singaporeans were killed and 4 injured in a car accident during their road trip from Great Ocean Road to the Grampians. What a tragedy!

Please guys, drive carefully and allow more time to travel instead of trying to squeeze everything in one day. Australia is a huge place and it takes longer to travel from one place to another than expected. Use http://maps.google.com.au/ or http://www.whereis.com to plan your trip and add 30 min on top of the calculated time shown on Google map or whereis.

For full news report of the accident, click here.

My heart goes out to the family who lost their loved one in this accident.

Fatum SG

"Sergeant Kevin Garrett, of Mortlake police, said it appeared the Tarago drifted on to gravel on the roadside, corrected sharply to the other side and rolled several times before landing on its roof"

must have dozed off on the wheel, and woke up with a start when the car hit the gravel ...

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

I dunno much abt cars but I dun they have auto cruise or something like tat de?

Meia Gisborn SG

I dunno much abt cars but I dun they have auto cruise or something like tat de?

I believe you're referring to cruise control, which maintains a set speed without your having to keep your foot on the accelerator pedal. Cruise control doesn't steer the vehicle for you, though.

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

I believe you're referring to cruise control, which maintains a set speed without your having to keep your foot on the accelerator pedal. Cruise control doesn't steer the vehicle for you, though.

ohhh ic... well guess it's only useful on a long straight road then...

caleb_chiang SG

hmm.... what does this have to do with planning?

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

i think wat mousie means is, ppl shld take their time, dun rush... rush causes accident...

honeymouse SG

People might think it's only 250km away, if they do 100km/h, you should be able to get to the destination in 2 hours and a bit.

Unfortunately they forget to factor in other things like terrain, weather etc. Great Ocean Road for those who have been there would know that the road is very windy (as in many narrow bends). There's no way you can do 100km/h on that road.

caleb_chiang SG

more likely dozed off during the road trip cos sg'rean not used to the long drive from one end to another end. Most of us reach destination within an hour in this island... for that, I think it took a few hours... so, nothing to do with speeding nor planning.

likeyou SG

It is better to take turn to drive.

Stop a few times to do some stretching is better than at one go.

mancha SG

Much also depends on the person sitting next to the driver.

That person should be chatty, and not doze off first before the driver does.

kcockicht SG

really i sometimes doubt when people travel go on tour are they really relaxing or rushing to go sight seeing. 3 days 4 night tour to a hundred locations at XXX countries. now wake up early in the morning ruch to place a - z do you think you really enjoyed the tour and the food?

well if the DIY tour is better since you got no schedule to follow but with such a big group really do they really enjoyed the trip to the fullest?

well if i really tour i give myself one month. walk or take public transport with someone who knows more of the place. and i spend the time in a town or city to enjoy its culture and people's daily lifestyle with videos and photographs more time to slowly experience and compose. this is what i call tour and getting to know a place in another country.

likeyou SG

well if the DIY tour is better since you got no schedule to follow but with such a big group really do they really enjoyed the trip to the fullest?

Ha....after coming back to spore, all sleep for days.

Tsh2005 SG

Hit by a "cross draft"?Speeding?

laurence82 father SG

they shoulda went to malaysia.nearby and less hot climate.....they couldnt sleep due to hot summer weather and they probably only applied for 7 days annual leave.

kcockicht SG

alone okay. too rush somemore with kids and older family members really its 'another type of tour'. even go my also like that rush only a few days some back i don't know its call elaxing or stressing out.

likeyou SG

Free and easy is good as it is at your own time.

But then if you drive long hours, it really defeat the purpose of free and easy. It more towards stress and lack of sleep.

lostintransition SG

self drive tours require time and lots of planning. one shldn't aim to cover too much but to spend more quality time "experiencing"..along the trip. i would never ever ever choose tour packages over F&E self drive unless i'm in a place where F&E tours are not possible

the Bear SG

Hit by a "cross draft"?Speeding?

this is a crosswind.. it hits the side of your car and it actually pushes your car sideways even when you're driving straight.. you have to compensate...

we do not experience that here in Singapore.. so most drivers don't know how to deal with such things...

then there's stuff like fog, dirt roads, icy roads, the lack of street lighting.. and the biggest killer of all, fatigue...

storywolf SG

1) They are driving a car that they are not used to. Usually people start their driving hoilday right away on their rental car, did not get enough time to be familiar with it first.

2) Poor planning - people do not calculate the time they need correctly. They just blindly measure the distance. They did not consider the type of road, and take into consideration that they stop a lot to take photo and explore things. Thus they under estimate the time they needed. Also must take note of the day light time, for some countries at certain season - sunset start to set by 4 or 5 p.m

3) Do homework on road to take. Some road in area like grampians are not really mean for normal travelling. There are some special road that are for slow nature observation.

4) Some road oversea - can be very straight and have field on both side, esp when it is between 10+ to 3+ with the heat and the light - can lead to driver to be lost concentration and doze off.

5) Crosswind - usually you can feel it, if you driving on straight road easily. Usually it is curve or turning - which crosswind cause accident .
6) Wild animals - kangroos & emu at grampian. Usually they start coming out in sunset. Outback - even have horses and camels.

One advice is alway put a few days to stay in the city at the end to to use a buffer - so you do not need to rush, the most eat into those days.

This way you do not have the need to rush, in victoria - there is place to stay all along the way . that is what is call driving hoilday - drive to where sleep at where and carry on.