To drive 5.5 hours without stopping?

[NotMyCircusMonkeys]

DP and I are on a short break in the UK, we left first thing this morning. The journey took about 5.5 hours and I drove all the way; we filled up with fuel before we left and had drinks and snacks in the car. Obviously if we had needed the loo we would have stopped.

I spoke to DM when I got here and she was very concerned that we hadn't stopped for a rest on the way down.

AIBU to think that two healthy adults can survive a 5.5 hour car journey without needing a break? I do much longer days at work and often work through my lunch, so I don't really see the difference.

How far would you drive without stopping?

I think it's dangerous to drive for that long without a break. Doing much longer days at work is a weird comparison - it's completely different - presumably you're sitting in a chair stationary most of that time not driving at 70mph. Also you probably get up at least one or twice or have a significant stretch, not sit in the exact same position.
You only have to close your eyes/lose concentration for two seconds on the motorway to cause a fatal accident.

I drive a lot for work and we're encourage to stop/swap drivers every two hours or so. As others have said lorry/bus drivers etc. all have mandatory breaks for a reason, not on a whim - it's because otherwise it's unsafe.

If you'd stopped half way and swapped drivers then yeah fine it's doable. But for one driver no really not ideal.

I do it twice a month, there and back.

As long as you know your limits I fail to see what the problem is

Not unreasonable imo but personally i'd be bored shitless after that length of time, especially if its on the motorway. I'd be wanting to stretch my legs.

Longest drive I have done is 51hrs with DH. We stopped for fuel, while we were stopped we switched drivers, used a toiled and got snacks.

We were fine with that, felt that we were as efficient as possible.

When you get to my age, you can't go 5.5 hours without a pee, so I have to stop. I also get backache if I sit that long without stretching my legs.

I drove from Toulouse to Calais with just one short break 15 years ago, and that was fine.

Yes, I do this regularly too

I wouldn't. If it's more than a couple of hours, a trip to the loo and some movement can do the world of good. A few minutes skipping around a carpark can be very reviving Being short, my driving position is quite cramped for things like the angle of pedals.

The type of road and conditions matters. Quiet rural roads are varied and interesting. Quiet motorway, simple. Congestion takes a lot more mental energy and reaction.

DH can do quite long journeys across the UK and can find a couple of brief breaks breaking into smaller sections to be more effective than getting more tired and having one longer break halfway.

2 maybe 2.5 hours is the most I will drive in one go. 5.5 hours is too much imo and unsafe.

And actually you pay for it at the other end. I’m a lot more tired when I have driven probably longer than I should have.
Taking breaks and swapping drivers means we are less tired when we arrive at our destination even if it takes an extra 30 mins to get there

We'd do 5.5 hours without the kids no problem, we both feel it destroys progress to stop and berate the other if we need the loo! However both have cast iron bladders. Sadly this doesn't apply to the kids...

It's fine if it works for you. Personally I'd struggle to concentrate for that long and would stop at least once to walk around, go to the loo and have a coffee, make sure I'm alert. I'm not uses to driving long distances though.

Were you eating the snacks and drinking the drinks while you were actually driving? Isn't that illegal?

I've got a fairly decent car and DP hasn't been driving that long, so he's not on my insurance as it would make it a lot more expensive. Otherwise we probably would have switched.

Interesting that lorry drivers have to have a break after 4.5 hours, especially considering they're professional drivers. It just doesn't seem long at all to me.

We're here for a week so I've got plenty of time to relax before the drive home!

We drove to Essex from Liverpool and back the same day to see newborn nephews, it was tough going and I needed to stop several times as have a weak bladder and needed a cig

I couldn't sit still for 5.5 hours

@Time40 yes, I had a couple of sausage rolls and a bottle of water - I don't think it's illegal as long as you are fully in control? Surely anyone can drive easily with one hand on a straight bit of road for as long as it takes to have a quick drink?

I've just looked it up, @NotMyCircusMonkeys. It isn't illegal, but there have been cases of people being prosecuted for careless driving because they were eating and drinking - I'd heard about those before, and they are what made me think that it must be illegal. Looks like if the police see you doing it, they can give you a ticket, even if you were in control of the car.

8-9 hrs is pretty regular but 13hrs is the most I've done. I'd not really recommend it tbh, obv I didn't drink enough as otherwise I would have needed the loo and I was very stiff by the end.

I was pretty regularly (4-6 times a month) doing 5 hr drives while pregnant (alone) so no I don't think it is a problem for two adults.

I bet anyone living in outback Australia must be pi$$ing themselves at this.

You can't compare hours of driving on a straight road crossing the odd cow and road train and driving on busy roads in Europe.

Australia roads do have bad accidents rates as it happens!

At least you get car beers in Australia!

I've done it. And I hate driving. I would probably have preferred to stop but was so panicked by the whole thing I just drove on!

Bloody hell, there are a lot of strong bladders out there!

I could do the drive itself near non stop, but no way without a wee break!!

Quite a bit of complacency here.

Tiredness causing lack of concentration and slow reaction times is the number one cause of motorway accidents.... ever wonder why so many lorries are involved in fatal collisions?

I drive 30 to 35k per year and witness plenty of poor driving, inc mistakes by me.... a few years i was in a traffic jam on the M5, a van had crossed over carriages ways and fattened a car, a girl i know (29yo) killed as she hit a car head on, my former landlord was killed on the M25 when a lorry ploughed into the back of his car, parked up on the hard shoulder, all these drivers went the extra mile and thought they d be ok.
I also used to know a 34yo woman who went out one morning and never came back.

I take regular breaks because i want to come home to my daughter, she d be an orphan if i died, my take on risk is somewhat different to most peoples.

We used to drive 8 or 9 hours in the States on our road trips, splitting the driving and stopping for the loo when needed no real difficulty.

Oh @jasjas1973 that's so sad.... Awful tragic accidents at such a huge cost.
I was about to say to OP that she knows what she can do comfortably when driving. Then I read your comment and thought you had a good point.
Tbh I have never personally managed to drive than 2-2.5 hours without stopping for a break. That's not a comment on OP though, that's just my limit X

Where are you off to? I want to make sure I give you a wide berth... Concentrating on the road is, or should be, quite hard work. You must be either tired from concentrating, or not concentrating in the first place. Why would an extra 20 minutes have been a problem?