Gas Pedal Knee

[Kryten2340]

Does anyone on here suffer from this and if so can you share any tips on how to manage the pain when driving?

I tend to get this after 1-2 hours of continuous driving. I'm in Newcastle and got a drive to Leeds tomorrow and a drive to Bournemouth in two weeks. Just wondering what I can do to manage the pain apart from the obvious which is to pull over.

I think its more cramp than anything else.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

It's probably too late now but was going be coach not an option? The National Express shows regular coaches between Newcastle Upon Tyne Coach Station and Leeds Coach Station. The most expensive journey seems to be around £20.

For either Newcastle or Leeds (whichever is the starting point), without looking I'm guessing that you'd have to changed coaches at Birmingham and/or London Victoria

 

[Bletchleyite]

Does anyone on here suffer from this and if so can you share any tips on how to manage the pain when driving?

I tend to get this after 1-2 hours of continuous driving. I'm in Newcastle and got a drive to Leeds tomorrow and a drive to Bournemouth in two weeks. Just wondering what I can do to manage the pain apart from the obvious which is to pull over.

I think its more cramp than anything else.

I don't know if you'd be in a position to do so, but longer term it would be a good idea to consider changing your car to one with cruise control, it's relatively common these days, and by buying a used executive saloon (Mondeo, Vectra, Insignia and the likes) you are very likely to get it for a good price as these depreciate heavily very quickly as they are rather overpriced new, and ex-company cars tend to have been maintained properly if high mileage.

Or, of course, take the train

 

[D365]

Isn't it required that you take a break after two hours of driving anyway?

 

[Kryten2340]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the reason for going.

I'm an IT engineer travelling to site. Kit to be took down that's too heavy to ship.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Isn't it required that you take a break after two hours of driving anyway?

Required by what?

 

[Kryten2340]

I don't know if you'd be in a position to do so, but longer term it would be a good idea to consider changing your car to one with cruise control, it's relatively common these days, and by buying a used executive saloon (Mondeo, Vectra, Insignia and the likes) you are very likely to get it for a good price as these depreciate heavily very quickly as they are rather overpriced new, and ex-company cars tend to have been maintained properly if high mileage.

Or, of course, take the train

Ideally my employer will hire a van with cruise control if the cost isn't too significant however the likes of Enterprise and Europcar don't display info on if their vans have cruise control. Northgate does seem to however.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the reason for going.

I'm an IT engineer travelling to site. Kit to be took down that's too heavy to ship.

If you drive for your job frequently I would *seriously* suggest you go for a car with cruise control. And with an IT job (even an engineer one) some kind of car of that nature should be affordable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ideally my employer will hire a van with cruise control if the cost isn't too significant however the likes of Enterprise and Europcar don't display info on if their vans have cruise control. Northgate does seem to however.

Perhaps you could give them a call or email, hire companies tend to be deliberately very generic with vehicle descriptions.

 

[me123]

Isn't it required that you take a break after two hours of driving anyway?

That's a recommendation, not a requirement.

Legislation applies only to professional drivers, and actually while the Highway Code offers a guideline of a break approximately every two hours, the maximum permitted time for a professional driver to be driving continuously is five and a half hours before they must take a break.

The OP is unlikely to subject to these conditions, even though it is a work trip.

 

[Lrd]

Try adjusting your seat, move it backwards or forwards and the height. I like having my legs fairly straight and not crammed in the foot well so put my seat back and low.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Even if the law did specify 2 hours, the OP says between 1-2 hours. Hourly stops are a bit much for most people, 2 hourly much more likely for a quick coffee and use of the facilities.

 

[Crossover]

I usually get some discomfort when driving a different vehicle for the first time for a reasonable distance. I had it the other week when driving a van for the first time (Enterprise rental, very base spec so definitely no cruise control) on a mostly motorway run from the Manchester area to Tewkesbury and back the day after.

On arrival in Tewkesbury, walking was a bit odd to begin with (benefit of a van is you can kind of drop out of it on to your feet, mind!) but was OK after about 5 mins of walking before heading back t the van to finish the final 10 minute drive (I had to drop a colleague at home before going on to the office)

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have knee issues myself but as I'm tall find vans and the likes mostly[1] *much* more comfortable to drive than cars.

[1] Except the new Citroen Berlingo, despite having owned an old one for 5 years and really liked it. The curved dashboard prevents me using the clutch - a real piece of design idiocy.

 

[507021]

I used to get this although I suspect the few years I had between not driving due to not being able to afford a car has helped alleviate that. Incidentally, I find the larger the vehicle, the more comfortable and easier it is to drive. Anything with an elevated driving position is a winner for me.

 

[D365]

Try adjusting your seat, move it backwards or forwards and the height. I like having my legs fairly straight and not crammed in the foot well so put my seat back and low.

I like this as well. Or maybe it's because a low seat feels more racy

Not too far back, mind, I usually drive a Fiesta.

 

[robbeech]

Driving is something i tend to do a lot of, though thankfully not the 2000 miles a week i was doing over one particular summer a few years back.

To add to the seat discussion you will probably not be surprised to know that most people have their seat in the wrong position. They find something that is comfortable for them ad use it and then after a few hours driving when things are aching they simply put it down to the fact they've been driving a few hours. It's important to experiment with this and find what is best for you.

Quite a few Enterprise vans (particularly the larger ones) do have Cruise Control now, infact i cannot remember the last one that didn't. The even better thing about Mercedes Cruise Control is it stays on after you change gear too so you can leave a roundabout and set the cruise control again and just change gear and it stays active, something i have never known a vehicle to do before.

I certainly wouldn't be without cruise control, it is often better on fuel (although not always). Staying comfortable also helps. If you have climate control, use it properly, set the temperature to how you want it. Yes, it'll use a bit more fuel but you'll feel more comfortable and that is worth it.

 

[EM2]

I find the design of the seat can influence this a lot. The seat in my old Fiesta wasn't supportive under the knee, which made it very uncomfortable and I had to resort to a small cushion to alleviate it, whereas my current Fiat Panda causes no such issues and I can drive from Kent to Cheshire quite comfortably.

 

[najaB]

Does anyone on here suffer from this and if so can you share any tips on how to manage the pain when driving?

This instructional video has some tips on how to be more comfortable while driving.
[youtube]HU5flMtWBSs[/youtube]

 

[muz379]

I find vans okay for this because of the elevated seating position , its like you are pushing your foot down on the accelerator more than at an angle like the lower seating position in a car .

I would second cruise control though , on the motorway or other roads which you are going a near constant speed on it is something I would not be without .

If cruise control is not an option play about with the seating position as much as the vehicle will allow moving it back or forward slightly will change the angle your leg is bent at and might prevent the pain from occurring .

 

[Cowley]

I find vans okay for this because of the elevated seating position , its like you are pushing your foot down on the accelerator more than at an angle like the lower seating position in a car .

I would second cruise control though , on the motorway or other roads which you are going a near constant speed on it is something I would not be without .

If cruise control is not an option play about with the seating position as much as the vehicle will allow moving it back or forward slightly will change the angle your leg is bent at and might prevent the pain from occurring .

I agree with the van comment. I can drive hundreds of miles in the van and feel fine. A couple of hundred in the car and I feel tired and uncomfortable, my knees start to ache too. On top of that you can see further in the van which makes it more relaxing in stop start traffic.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Does your car actually run on gas?

 

[robbeech]

I certainly have no issues doing long distances in some vans. By some vans I mean Sprinters, though I find the older ones more comfortable. My current "temporary for a few weeks until I buy something nice again" (it's been 18 months) Vectra is 10 years old now, it's actually not bad on long distances but it has followed 2 Volvos (an s80 and an xc70) and 2 Mercedes (s320L and a c36) so it's not as pleasant at anything really, apart from fuel consumption. I found with the S class and the S80 inparticular I could drive 4 or 5 hours, get home and then sit and finish listening to the album or the program on the radio or sit on the phone for maybe another hour and still not feel like I wanted to stretch my legs where as other cars I can't wait to get out of