Vantai24h – Date 12/07/2015 - Among all destinations across the country, Ca Mau is the furthest one. The total distance from the inner city of Hanoi to Ca Mau Town is nearly 2100 kilometers.
Ca Mau is the southernmost province of Vietnam and belongs to the delta of Cuu Long River. It is 370 km away from Ho Chi Minh City and around 180 km south of Can Tho City. Ca Mau Province is located in the coastal center of southeastern Asia so it is very convenient for the economic cooperation and cultural exchange with other nations in the region.
Receiving the order of transporting goods from Ca Mau to Hanoi, Nguyen Khac Luc had a chance to pay a visit to the company’s headquarters in Hanoi to give his greetings and meet drivers. This is the longest route of transport Luc has ever been responsible for. He is usually assigned to transport goods between Ca Mau to Ho Chi Minh City and sometimes to ship cargos from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. This is the first time he has completed a long journey from Ca Mau to Hanoi.
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According to his story and experience, to ensure the safety for long distance journeys, drivers must follow basic rules such as no abrupt speed acceleration or continuous braking. In addition, you should adjust the mirrors and not drinking alcohol before and after driving. Meanwhile, you also must keep a safe distance and drive cautiously.
On the road, Luc witnessed a situation in which a car could not use its brakes. This car going from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi had encountered some mountainous roads so its brake system was put in excessive use. Luc said: “All cars’ brake systems consume oil and are supported by vacuum air so the excessive usage may generate heat which can deactivate brake pedals and leak oil, resulting in improper operation of the brake system”. This risk can be diminished thanks to regular maintenance and repair. However, the full performance of cars may not be ensured only with frequent checking. Unexpected situations are inevitable so the best way to cope with them is that drivers should accumulate and equip themselves with knowledge and driving skills.
Luc shared with us his experience to handle when your car brakes do not work properly. According to him, the first thing to remember is use hand brake calmly, then try to change down gears to the first one so that cars can decrease their speed to the minimum. Do not use the gear 0 (N) too long because when driving downhill, if you select gear 0, cars will move faster, making it difficult to change gear up. When car brakes do not work, drivers should pump the brake pedals gently to recover temporarily the pressure in car pistons and let cars stop completely.
To minimize impacts which may lead to brakes’ improper operation, drivers should practice driving with low gears (the first, second or third) when going downhill or uphill to reduce the pressure on the brake system. Moreover, before and after driving long distance journeys regular maintenance is very important to decrease the occurrence of unexpected situations.
