[Figopian]

Originally Posted by model-t

I think driving in summers in North India (March-August) can be really harrowing due to extreme heat and humidity. Proving basic humane facilities to the drivers is a good step. This can go a long way in reducing their stress and "may" reduce accidents which are so prevalent on Indian roads.

So by this logic, everyone in North India (Rest assured this is more or less the same state across India) who owns a car should be using AC all time in Summer, which I believe is not the case. We still have people who try to save that extra bit to meet their ends and cannot afford the luxury of using AC.
I am not saying AC will not reduce stress, it will be definitely helpful, at the same time we also need to remember that we are putting additional financial pressure on the consumer. And lastly, if we believe AC will reduce accidents, its would be insanely optimistic!! My point is there are other simple things that can be tried out at no extra cost and then we will see.

[Ashley2]

You can only make it mandatory to give the feature but cant make it mandatory to use it. Not sure Govt. is trying to do that also - Think if highway patrol stops the trucks and pull it over to tell driver you are not using AC.
But this is going to be a failure strategy for reducing stress, as there are already some corporates tried this in their fleet but drives were not using it as they save some sort of money and also not every one is comfortable with the AC. Praxair have done this in entire fleet and they retrofitted. Ashokleyland U4923 was the model and they fitted in most of the long distance trucks. But it was kind of neutral feedback. Infact Praxair is more professional in their fleet and even wants their drivers to use seat belts. But not every one does it.
Ref given is U-4018il



Also some drives chew pan and spitting is always an Issue when its closed and they feel annoyed to open the window each time to spit outside. Instead drivers in Volvo have a bottle to spit in it and empty the container when they stop for bio break. May be not all, but still few does this.

[benu9714]

It is easy to blame truck drivers for accidents. However, my experience in long distance driving in India (Kolkata-Kerala, Kolkata-Rajasthan) has been that long distance truck drivers are the most careful drivers you can get. They do not hog the road un-necessarily, do not switch lanes with no warning, allow you to pass, signal when it is safe to pass etc etc. The reason, I guess, is that they do not want accidents, which will delay them and create problems.

The dangerous drivers on the highways are the big buses, who drive wildly, especially in Kerala. The other offenders are the small trucks and pick-ups who hop in and out of the highways on short runs. They have no road manners and switch lanes at random, tailgate and often drive on the wrong side of the road to save a KM or two.

Truck drivers around the world are the safest drivers. In the US, Canada, Middle East, UK etc, where I have driven extensively, you will not see large trucks driving irresponsibly. They are the most careful and courteous of drivers. Indian long-distance truskers are similar. The small guys are the problem on Indian highways.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by benu9714

It is easy to blame truck drivers for accidents. However, my experience in long distance driving in India (Kolkata-Kerala, Kolkata-Rajasthan) has been that long distance truck drivers are the most careful drivers you can get. They do not hog the road un-necessarily, do not switch lanes with no warning, allow you to pass, signal when it is safe to pass etc etc. The reason, I guess, is that they do not want accidents, which will delay them and create problems.

The dangerous drivers on the highways are the big buses, who drive wildly, especially in Kerala. The other offenders are the small trucks and pick-ups who hop in and out of the highways on short runs. They have no road manners and switch lanes at random, tailgate and often drive on the wrong side of the road to save a KM or two.

Truck drivers around the world are the safest drivers. In the US, Canada, Middle East, UK etc, where I have driven extensively, you will not see large trucks driving irresponsibly. They are the most careful and courteous of drivers. Indian long-distance truskers are similar. The small guys are the problem on Indian highways.

I beg to differ. Indian long distance truckers are a law onto themselves. They hog the road, especially the right lane on a divided highway. They maintain a constant 60 kmph or lesser to save fuel when hogging the fast lane. They drive with full beams and multiple lights during night. On single lane highways they refuse to move to allow the faster vehicle to overtake, they drive overloaded and under powered trucks which crawl at 30 kmph on mild inclines and they still try and overtake a slower truck doing 20kmph thus blocking the entire road during their silly maneuvers. Most long distance truck in India has no tail lights or brake lights. Most don't give indicators while turning and most don't have a cleaner/helper which is mandated by law. Any other civilized country such truckers would be called criminals and jailed.

[lucifer1881]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I beg to differ. Indian long distance truckers are a law onto themselves. They hog the road, especially the right lane on a divided highway. They maintain a constant 60 kmph or lesser to save fuel when hogging the fast lane. They drive with full beams and multiple lights during night. On single lane highways they refuse to move to allow the faster vehicle to overtake, they drive overloaded and under powered trucks which crawl at 30 kmph on mild inclines and they still try and overtake a slower truck doing 20kmph thus blocking the entire road during their silly maneuvers. Most long distance truck in India has no tail lights or brake lights. Most don't give indicators while turning and most don't have a cleaner/helper which is mandated by law. Any other civilized country such truckers would be called criminals and jailed.

You may beg to differ. That's your prerogative. However, ask anyone who has clocked over 10000km on Indian highways, with a minimum of 2500km clocked on a single road trip. They will tell you that long-distance truckers are some of the best behaved on the roads. They not only drive well, they are also the first ones to come to your rescue when you have a breakdown.

Now, to the topic at hand. Air-conditioning goes a long way in reducing driver stress. A driver may choose to not use it to save on fuel, etc. but that does not mean air-conditioning itself is useless. Not only do you get a cool environment, you are also free of pollution, dust, noise and other elements. I have had to drive from Chittoor to Hyderabad once without air-conditioning. It was an extremely tiring and stressful experience.

I can imagine how stressful it would be for truckers with all the engine heat percolating into the cabin, adding to the heat of the Indian summer. Give those guys the facility. May be an incentive for using the air-con. Let them understand the benefits of it. Let them make that choice of using it or not. But let's not be inhuman and not even provide them with basic humane working conditions.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by lucifer1881

You may beg to differ. That's your prerogative. However, ask anyone who has clocked over 10000km on Indian highways, with a minimum of 2500km clocked on a single road trip. They will tell you that long-distance truckers are some of the best behaved on the roads. They not only drive well, they are also the first ones to come to your rescue when you have a breakdown.

Now, to the topic at hand. Air-conditioning goes a long way in reducing driver stress. A driver may choose to not use it to save on fuel, etc. but that does not mean air-conditioning itself is useless. Not only do you get a cool environment, you are also free of pollution, dust, noise and other elements. I have had to drive from Chittoor to Hyderabad once without air-conditioning. It was an extremely tiring and stressful experience.

I can imagine how stressful it would be for truckers with all the engine heat percolating into the cabin, adding to the heat of the Indian summer. Give those guys the facility. May be an incentive for using the air-con. Let them understand the benefits of it. Let them make that choice of using it or not. But let's not be inhuman and not even provide them with basic humane working conditions.

You may have 10000 or I lac kms on the highways, it doesn't matter. Most of the accidents on the highways are caused by truckers either directly or indirectly, by not following rules. Air conditioning aside, its high time heavy vehicle license rules are made strict so not every one and his uncle can drive a heavy vehicle at will.

[shaggydogg]

I honestly feel that a much more effective and economic step that the Government can mandate is the inclusion of under-run protection at least at the rear. I've seen scores of highway accidents where small vehicles run straight into the back of parked (and often completely unlit) lorries. In such situations, airbags/crumple zones in cars may not help because the first point of impact tends to be the windshield.

[ajman28]

The idea is really good, as in tired drivers are a major safety concern. But mandating A/C is a very tough idea to implement.

I would say other options would be more beneficial such as AMT/AT mandatory along with power steering (which is already mandatory) and better pedal feel (car-like), better seating (not those bare seats!), etc. These can be in-built by the OEM so would be more effective as the driver cannot switch it off.

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

You may have 10000 or I lac kms on the highways, it doesn't matter. Most of the accidents on the highways are caused by truckers either directly or indirectly, by not following rules. Air conditioning aside, its high time heavy vehicle license rules are made strict so not every one and his uncle can drive a heavy vehicle at will.

It actually does matter. I have driven in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, NCR and many parts of West Bengal, and what I have observed is that truckers usually behave very responsibly. They may stick to a lane but they don't stop you from overtaking from the other side. There are exceptions but good road behavior is the norm.
On the other hand, the passenger cars and LCV's are usually driven erratically, and many accidents happen because the drivers do not sound their horn or flash their lights and overtake without any consideration for the truck driver's blind spots. If you observe the road mannerisms of drivers who are on long distance tours (usually Innovas) you'll find that they, like the truckers, are well behaved.
An AC driver's cabin will certainly help reduce stress levels of the drivers. Whether that would directly translate into lower accidents is something that is very difficult to say-there are more variables that need to be optimized for achieving that. I tried to locate research on the significance of cabin temperature in road accidents, but could not locate any study that arrives at a correlation.