Set the timer to 158 minutes

Online timer for 158 minutes

Once you have started the drive between regional centres, let the countdown run while you concentrate on the highway rather than checking the remaining time. A window of two hours and thirty-eight minutes can cover a substantial stretch, but roadworks, reduced-speed zones and school-holiday traffic may change where you are when it ends. Treat the alert as a prompt to reassess the trip only after reaching a safe stopping place.

During an intercity drive, closing the timer tab or the entire browser may stop the countdown or prevent its alert from sounding, depending on the phone and browser settings. Locking the screen or switching to navigation can also affect background activity. Keeping the tab open gives the countdown a better chance of continuing while another passenger monitors it; a driver should leave the phone alone until parked.

If the same highway leg needs timing again straight afterwards, note whether the first run ended before or after the planned stop. Restart the countdown only when the next leg begins, rather than allowing loading fuel, swapping drivers or taking a rest break to become part of the driving time. Repeating it this way makes the second result easier to compare with the first, even when traffic conditions change.