Driving Nervousness...
 

Ok...I'm driving up to Richmond tomorrow with some buds. Truth is, I've never driven that far. It's about 3 1/2 hours away and can feature some bad traffic. I'm a bit nervous about driving, and I'm the only one available to drive tomorrow.

Any tips? :)

Take frequent breaks, that way the drive doesn't seem that long, and it will also prevent you from getting tired.
Keep your eyes on the road and just pay attention to your surroundings, don't fuss with the radio dial, don't fuss wiht the temperature controls, or rummage thru a bag to find something. Have everything you need, music, snacks, beverages etc.. exactly where you know they are.

maleficent pretty much covered it but I will add one thing. Keep your passengers under control. The other people in the car are usually your biggest distraction. If you need a drink or anything else while driving, have them get it for you and open it. They should be helping the driver throughout the trip.

Try to utilize your entire range of vision. Don't just focus on the vehicles directly in front of you.

Make sure you're checking back and forth between mirrors, front, and dials. Not only is it useful, but it really helps you stay alert. I also personally advise against using cruise control. It just separates you from the driving process that much more.

I've always found that listening to people talking helps the time go by faster. Either NPR, or some books on tape. Cruise control can help insofar as it allows you to pay more attention to the road and less to how fast you're going. It's good to use in those stretches where there's not so much traffic. If there's a lot of traffic, I wouldn't use it. What's most important is that you're comfortable. If you're uncomfortable, you'll start making bad decisions.

Don't feel like you need to make "good time."

I used to drive much quicker than surrounding traffic on long trips, but I found that doing so takes a great a mount of SA (situational awareness), concentration, and is physically tiring (not to mention unsafe and- especially now- detrimental to fuel efficiency). Consequently, I wasted all the time I made up driving fast by passing out at my destination from exhaustion and not doing things I went there to do.

Drive at a steady pace, watch out for crazy guys like my former self, and don't hit any deer unless your car has a hunting license.

Basically, make your passengers (or at least the one riding shotgun) attend to your every wish: A/C, radio, opening drink/food, anything that makes you take your eyes off the road make your passengers do. That's what they're there for on a long trip; you're doing the work driving, they should show some appreciation by helping you as passengers.

Don't sweat it, just get into a good rythm and get some good tunes.

I totally read that wrong.

I really thought you were asking about being nervous about driving a ways with some purple sticky stuff in your car.

When my husband and I take long trips, he always drives, and I am the "navigator". I have to look at the map and make sure we get to on the right highway/exits....the driver doesn't need to be bothered with this.

Do it blindfolded and make every else on the road nervous. Kidding.

Always know whats behind you. The rearview mirror is your friend.

Everyone here has all the good stuff covered, but another non-crucial but helpful thing is to stretch before you head off so that your body doesn't start to get achy or stiff too soon.

EDIT: Oh, I should have read the date of the original post. Well, I suppose this could be just as helpful in the future. :)

if you get tired.... pull over for 5 - 10 min and take a quick nap(catch some rem) then get back in gear and keep going. do not drive if your eyelids get heavy

I imagine that you have already been on your trip. I hope that it went well. A few other tips.

1. Bring decent, healthy, food to snack on. (Junk food isn't very good for sustained energy).
2. Keep yourself hydrated. (It's easy to forget to drink water on a long haul).
3. Bring compelling, energetic music. Books on CD are great too.

Last Christmas, I drove from central Texas to Detroit and back again with my wife, toddler daughter, and dog in a mazda protoge. On the way back, we didn't stop until we were back in Texas. It was a long trip. As others have said, if you get tired, take a break or even stop for the night.

my folks live in cali... i'm goin to school in texas...

do the drive in 17ish hours including all stops...

the biggest thing i can say in my opinion is to scan with your eyes... if I dont i will gradually kinda tunnelvision out and only really focus on whats in front of me...

i make patterns... and then every so often I mix em up a little..
road,gauges,road,left rearview,road,middle rearview, road, right rearview repeat