Tips for Sharing the Driving

Why You Should Share the Driving on Long Journeys

Driving for hours on end is hard work. It requires constant concentration, quick reactions, and physical stamina. Unfortunately, driver fatigue is a major problem on UK roads, particularly on monotonous stretches like motorways.

According to research from road safety charity Brake, fatigue is estimated to be a factor in up to 10% to 20% of all UK road collisions. When you’re tired, your reaction times slow down, and your ability to spot hazards is severely reduced. In fact, Brake highlights that driving when tired can be just as dangerous as drink-driving. They note that drivers are 20 times more likely to fall asleep at the wheel at 6 am than at 10 pm, and a shocking 1 in 8 drivers admit to having actually fallen asleep at the wheel.
Fatigue is such a massive danger that it plays a major part in the road crashes that kill 1.1 million people and injure over 40 million worldwide every year. To combat this, a UN regulation adopted by the UNECE introduces advanced warning systems to detect when drivers are getting drowsy, proving just how seriously safety experts take the issue of sleepiness at the wheel.

Closer to home, a warning issued by National Highways shows that fatigue-related deaths and serious injuries on England’s motorways and major roads increase by a staggering 59% during the summer months compared to other seasons. Despite this, their surveys reveal that only 39% of drivers would stop and take a break due to tiredness, and 29% admit they did not factor any rest stops into their last long trip.

This is why we always recommend having a plan to share the driving. When you share driving, you prevent any single person from reaching a dangerous point of exhaustion. It’s one of the most effective tips for long drives, ensuring you can split the journey into manageable chunks and keep everyone on board safe.

If you’re planning a trip, establishing a rotation to share the driving should be at the top of your list. When you split the journey between multiple drivers, the entire journey feels less daunting and far more relaxed.

How to Drive Long Distance Without Getting Tired

If you want to know how to drive long distances without getting tired, the answer is simple: preparation, timing, and teamwork. Even when you share the driving, staying alert requires active management. Here are our top tips for long drives to keep fatigue at bay.

1. Swap Drivers Every Two Hours

The Highway Code recommends taking a minimum break of 15 minutes for every two hours of driving. When you have multiple people ready to share driving, this is the perfect time to switch. Don’t wait until you’re already yawning to swap over. Set a timer, pull into a service station, and hand over the keys. This is one of our golden tips for driving long distances.

2. Get Enough Rest Before the Trip

One of the most overlooked tips for long drives is getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep the night before you travel. Trying to make up for a lack of sleep by drinking energy drinks or coffee doesn’t work in the long run. If you want to know how to drive long distances without getting tired, starting with a full battery is essential.

3. Eat Light and Stay Hydrated

Heavy, carbohydrate-rich meals can make you feel incredibly sluggish, which is the last thing you want when driving. Keep a bottle of water handy and snack on fruit or nuts. Keeping hydrated is one of the easiest tips for driving long distances to maintain your concentration.

4. Share Driving Duties to Keep the Mind Active

When you aren’t behind the wheel, don’t just snooze. The passenger plays an important role, too. Act as the navigator, manage the music, and keep light conversation going. Helping your co-driver stay alert is just as important as sharing the driving. This cooperative approach is one of our best tips for long drives.

The Legality of Splitting the Journey: How to Share the Drive Safely

Before anyone can step in to share the driving, you must make sure that every driver is legally covered to get behind the wheel. It’s a common myth that comprehensive annual policies automatically allow you to drive other cars. In most cases, they don’t – or if they do, they only provide basic third-party cover, leaving the vehicle owner highly exposed.

To legally share driving duties on UK roads, you must ensure the following elements are in place:

• A Valid Driving Licence: Every driver must hold a valid driving licence for the type of vehicle being driven.
• A Roadworthy Vehicle: The car must have a valid MOT, be fully taxed, and be safe to drive.
• The Correct Insurance Cover: The driver taking over must have active cover specifically for that vehicle.

If you let a friend take over without the right cover, you could both face serious consequences. If you’re wondering whether you’ll be punished for driving without insurance, the answer is a resounding yes. Driving without valid insurance is illegal and remains one of the primary causes of driving fines in the UK, carrying a minimum penalty of a £300 fine and six penalty points on your licence.

Fortunately, learning how to get insured on someone else’s car is incredibly simple. Instead of altering your main annual policy, temporary cover is the safest, fastest solution.

Why Temporary Insurance is Perfect for Sharing the Driving

If you want to share driving, you might naturally think about adding a friend or partner as a named driver on your annual policy. However, this is often slow, expensive, and comes with administrative fees.

The smartest way to share the driving is with temporary car insurance. It’s the ideal setup for sharing the wheel for several key reasons:

• It Protects the Owner’s No Claims Bonus: Temporary insurance is a completely separate, standalone policy. If the temporary driver has a minor bump during their stint at the wheel, the main vehicle owner’s No Claims Bonus remains completely untouched.
• It is Highly Flexible: You can take out cover from as little as an hour up to 28 days. You only pay for the exact time you need to share driving.
• It Keeps Finances Separate: It allows two people to insure the same car via a standalone temporary policy, which keeps things completely separate and risk-free.
• It takes Minutes: You can get a quote and have comprehensive cover active in under two minutes, making spontaneous trips easy to organise.

If you’re looking for tips for long drives that protect your pocket as well as your safety, keeping your insurance separate is definitely one of them.

When Sharing the Driving Saves the Day

Having the option to share driving is incredibly helpful in all kinds of everyday situations. Here are a few common instances where splitting the drive makes perfect sense.

Manchester to the Highlands: The Epic Staycation

If you and your partner are planning a dream getaway to the Scottish Highlands, the seven-hour-plus journey from Manchester can look incredibly daunting. If you don’t normally share a car, splitting the trip can make a world of difference. When you share the driving, you can switch seats every couple of hours, meaning you both get to enjoy the stunning scenery rather than focusing purely on the road.

To keep things cheap, check out our guide on road trip savings, and our road trip guide to help you to find the best stops along the route. If you’re browsing for staycation ideas, this is the perfect way to make the journey part of the holiday.

Heading to a Festival

Heading off to a festival with a group of friends? Travelling by car to festivals is always a laugh on the way there, but the journey home can be absolutely draining after days of dancing and sleeping on bumpy ground. This is when you really need to share driving responsibilities. If you’ve hired a campervan or taken a larger vehicle, you’ll need to make sure you have motorhome insurance sorted before anyone takes a shift behind the wheel. Have a look at our campervan festival tips for advice on surviving the weekend. Sharing the wheel on the way home ensures no one is driving exhausted.

Road-Tripping Through Europe: The Chamonix Adventure

You’ve just rolled off the ferry at Calais, and you’ve got an eight-hour haul down to the ski slopes of Chamonix ahead of you. If you’re weighing up the pros and cons of flying vs driving to Europe, taking your own wheels is the ultimate adventure, but those endless French toll roads can quickly get monotonous. Factor in the mental tax of adjusting to driving on the right side of the road, and you’ll find your concentration levels dropping much faster than usual.

Swapping drivers at an autoroute service station after a fresh baguette and coffee isn’t just a nice break, it’s a safety necessity. Having a second driver sorted means you can share the driving and hand over the keys when your eyes start to feel heavy, keeping the adventure fun rather than exhausting. It’s one of the most critical tips for driving long distances when navigating unfamiliar roads abroad.

Taking the Late-Night Shift: The Wedding Journey Home

It’s 1 am after your cousin’s wedding in a countryside barn in Yorkshire, you’ve been dancing for hours, and the rain’s arrived. The drive home always feels twice as long, and you can feel your eyelids getting heavy. In situations like this, having a designated driver is a lifesaver. If a sober, well-rested mate or family member can step in, it takes a massive weight off your shoulders.

Sorting out designated driver insurance beforehand means they can legally take the wheel of your car. It’s a simple, stress-free way to share the driving so you can sit back, rest your eyes, and get everyone home safely without any late-night worry.

Helping Out Family and Borrowing Cars: The Big Flat Move

Maybe your younger brother is finally moving out of his student house in Leeds, and he needs to borrow your car to haul his life’s possessions across town. Or perhaps your sister’s car is in the garage, and she needs to borrow yours for the weekend to pick up some flat-pack furniture. Knowing how to lend your car to your family legally keeps everyone on the right side of the law.

If you’re asking yourself if someone else can drive my car, you don’t have to spend hours on the phone to your annual insurer to add them as a named driver. A quick temporary policy lets them share the driving or borrow the car for the weekend, and your hard-earned annual premium remains completely safe if they have a minor scrape.

Essential Preparation to Share the Driving Smoothly

To make sure your journey goes off without a hitch, here are a few practical tips for long drives to help you prep your vehicle before you swap over:

• Adjust the Driving Position: Every time you swap drivers, take a minute to adjust the seat, steering wheel, and mirrors. Never drive in a position that isn’t perfectly comfortable for you.
• Keep the Peace with a Shared Playlist: Agree on a music or podcast playlist before you set off. Having an engaging podcast is one of our favourite tips for driving long distances to keep the brain active.
• Pre-Plan Your Rest Stops: Don’t just pull over when you’re desperate. Look at your route beforehand and identify service stations where you can stretch your legs and share driving responsibilities.
• Confirm the Cover is Active: Always double-check permissions. If you’re asking yourself whether someone else can drive your car, make sure they have a valid driving licence and that their temporary cover is active.

Share the Drive and Enjoy the Journey

By choosing to share the driving, you’re taking the sensible step to protect your passengers, yourself, and other road users from the dangers of fatigue. It’s one of the most practical tips for long drives, turning a tiring chore into a shared adventure.

Ready to share driving on your next trip? Don’t let complicated insurance hold you back. Get comprehensive temporary car insurance sorted in under two minutes, protect your No Claims Bonus, and hit the road with confidence.