Ramadan in 2023 has come around, and it’s that time of the year when plenty of Malaysians are fasting from sunrise to sunset. Unlike the past few years during the pandemic and its lockdowns, people are back on the road driving to work, class, or their hometowns. So, it’s essential to refresh our knowledge of driving safely while fasting.

You can maximise your safety while driving during the fasting month by practising patience and taking frequent breaks. Planning your drive carefully and packing food and snacks to break your fast can also help you plenty. Lastly, keep a safer distance and reduce your driving speed so you can react to dangers on the road more effectively.

Whether you’re driving to the office or to your class at an automobile college, you’ll want to read this guide to the end. In this guide, you’ll learn a handful of the most essential tips to drive safely on the road during this fasting month.

How Do You Drive Safely While Fasting?

Driving a motor vehicle comes with its fair share of challenges and risks, regardless of when you do it. However, doing so while fasting poses a few additional challenges.

Combining a lack of food and water with a lack of energy can make driving much riskier. But, despite those challenges, people still need to get to their destination, whether that’s to the office, their home, or driving long distances to their hometowns.

Whether you’re observing the month of Ramadan or fasting for any other reason, here are a few critical things to always keep in mind:

1. Practise Patience

The first and most crucial thing when driving while fasting is to practise as much patience as possible. Of course, you must be patient when dealing with other road users like drivers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians.

Many other drivers on Malaysian roads are likely to be fasting as well. Due to that, it’s important for us all to be mutually understanding and patient so we can all reach our destination safely.

However, it’s also crucial to be patient with yourself. No matter how you feel, you must always take some time to ensure you’re following all car safety precautions.

That includes putting on your seatbelt, driving within the speed limit, and changing lanes safely.

2. Plan Journeys Carefully

Planning your journey carefully is always excellent, whether you’re embarking on your daily commute or a long-distance drive to your hometown. Doing so can help you avoid unpleasant jams and identify rest and relaxation (or ‘R&R’) stops along the way.

For instance, knowing where all the petrol stations and hotels are along your long-distance drive can help you plan your breaks and meals more effectively.

During Ramadan, however, there are additional things you’ll want to include in your planning. For example, you’ll want to know when you’ll break your fast that day.

That way, you’ll know if you have to break your fast inside your car or if you can stop at a restaurant somewhere along your route.

3. Pack Snacks And Drinks

Another excellent thing to do when driving during the fasting month is to ensure there are plenty of snacks and drinks onboard. That way, you’ll be prepared to break your fast if that time comes while you’re still on the road.

You won’t have to delay breaking your fast when you have snacks and drinks. Instead, you can eat and drink immediately when you hear the call to prayer outside or on the radio.

As a result of that light snack and drink, your body will be energised, and you can focus better while driving. In other words, eating your meal on time enables you to concentrate better while driving, keeping yourself, your passengers, and other road users safe.

4. Stop For Breaks

Driving is a naturally tiring activity that causes your body plenty of fatigue. On top of that, the fatigue becomes more intense when you haven’t eaten or had a drink in several hours.

Drivers will also feel tired directly after consuming a large meal, like when breaking a fast. That’s because all the body’s energy is focused on digesting the food, leaving the rest of your body tired.

Even if you stay awake while driving, fatigue dramatically reduces your reaction time. In other words, your ability to notice dangers on the road and maneuver your car to safety is delayed, raising your risk of getting into a car accident.

Aside from that, driving for an extended period can also cause your back and other body parts to ache.

These risks can be dramatically reduced by taking breaks along your drive. As a general rule of thumb, you should take a break after every 1-2 hours of driving.

As part of your break, you can take a nap and walk around to stretch your legs. If you have access to a shower, cleaning yourself will also do wonders for your energy levels and focus when you get back on the road.

5. Slow Down And Keep A Safe Distance

Lastly, the most important tip for driving safely while fasting is to slow down and keep a safe distance.

Remember: when your body is in a fasted state, your ability to react quickly is reduced. So, no matter how good of a driver you usually are, you’ll still take more time to notice dangers on the road and react appropriately.

You can counter that by driving slower and maintaining more distance from the car in front of you than you usually would. That might not sound like much at first, but it affords you additional time to react if something goes wrong on the road.

Final Thoughts

The fasting month can be challenging in several different ways. That’s certainly true when it comes to driving on the road. Overall, you must be patient with other road users and, more importantly, with yourself.

Plan your journey carefully and take breaks along the way. If your drive coincides with the time to break your fast, pack drinks and snacks in your car. Lastly, reduce your driving speeds and always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you.

You can find plenty of helpful driving tips on the official website of TOC Automotive College, Malaysia’s top award-winning automotive college. There, you’ll find plenty of informative blog articles to help you become a better-informed driver in Malaysia and beyond!

How To Drive Safely In Ramadan