[caliper]

I was thinking about a remark that someone made to me that air conditioning relaxes the driver and I came to the conclusion that the reverse must also be true: lack of AC causes stress and aggression.

Think about an average car without AC. Even if parked in the shade, it will get very hot. Sit in it, and the only slight relief you can get is when the car is moving to get some air circulating. When the car is stationary, or even slow, you start sweating.

The result: naturally, whenever traffic stops, people start banging the horn, desperate for traffic to move. Also, when traffic is slow, they will go for any small little opening, whether it's safe to do so or not.

Add to that the fact that passengers also get antsy without AC, and are pressuring the driver "When will we get there?", and you have a recipe for rash driving.

This holds true for 2-wheelers as well, who, of course, don't have air conditioning.

By contrast, if you have the AC on, you sometimes almost don't want the trip to end, or at least you can take a leisurely approach.

What do you think?

[drifter]

I think the same holds true for drivers of bigger and slow moving vehicles. They are always being cut-off by smaller and faster cars. They can't close gaps in traffic as quickly as others which leads to other cars getting into their places. No wonder BEST drivers are a pissed-off lot.

Drifter

Certainly, excessive NVH and high humidity and/or temperatures can make people irritable. It certainly happens to me.

I think all commercial vehicles (trucks+bus) should have HVAC and power steering compulsary by government regulation, at least for the drivers cabin. The drivers of these rudimentary TATA, Hinduja Leyland etc are all saints for putting up with this kind of enviornment.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I like (except in the hottest weather, or the dustiest/smelliest places) to drive with the windows open.

My wife prefers the AC.

...that can lead to some irritation!

[Zappo]

Hmmm... the part of the hypothesis about the traffic snarls and other vehicles cutting across in front causing irritation and road rages sounds very probably. However I am sceptical about how much an AC helps in cooling down matters. IMO, the reactions have more to do with the stress level that unruly traffic and the constant fear of hitting someone or getting hit brings. I think if the lane discipline and general sense of traffic is improved then even a traffic snarl will be much easier for people to withstand. At least the road rages will come down many folds. AC can only be an added parameter that probably adds some more comfort levels to the whole thing. At least my personal experience says so.

[appuchan]

I dont think this theory can reason the traffic rage in Bangalore where the weather is good (within 20-30C) and a/c is mostly used to minimise noise and air pollution than regulate temperature. Also road rage is shown by all tpyes of vehicle drivers ranging from an Accord to an auto. Its more due to a negative attitude and unnecessary sense of urgency.

[abhijit 2284]

for me mainly the ac is usefull as it keeps unwanted smoke, noise , hot weather and mainly dust out
. helps to keep me cool , allows me to listen to good music without too much external noise , can have sane volume conversations on the phone and in the case of a traffic jam just relax without geting irritated.

helps me relax- can be said that it helps me to avoid road rage

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

IMO, its certainly 'one' of the factors.

Even i used to get irritated when we used to get stuck in traffic, and summer heat in kerala and no ac in old M800 meant, seriously bad time. And add to that, all the dust and smoke, and irritating attitude of the auto-wallahs.

[devilvtec]

What irritates me in traffic is other drivers trying to act smart by juming right in front of you ..out of no where and drive at a speed which is slower than an old snail... they have no sense of rules what so ever .. and think that they own the road or sumthing .. the a/c with some slow classy songs on the radio does help to some extent ... but if people try and drive sanely the problem would never have occured ..

[DonVilano]

AC is very much a part of the car and it is difficult to understand a car without one. Especially at these times of global warming.

Jokes apart, a nice AC does take out a lot of strain out of driving.

[shobhit15]

A/C certainly helps you cool down. However, as rightly pointed by some ppl, the main issue is unneccessary sense of urgency or the constant fear of hitting someone or being hit.

I believe, cost of fuel is also one of the factors. Ppl want as few stops as possible to maximise the fuel efficiency.

I have found from my own experiences that the best remedy for road-rage is an apologetic smile if you are the victim of road-rage or looking the other way if you are the perpetrator.

I remember reading this line somewhere :

" Have you ever noticed that the person in the car in front of you appears to be sight-seeing the city while the one who overtakes you seems like a speed maniac ?"

[theMAG]

lack of AC causes stress and aggression

Certainly, being in confortable environs always lowers your BP. Thats why I try to root myself inside my house on those precious weekends.

[speedzak]

With AC on, your windows will be rolled up. And that means you wont be able to hear the swearing from any other cars nor you will be able to swear at them.
That by itself takes out half the strain out of driving naa?

[srishiva]

Yes it does matter. I remember R.K Narayan saying people in Chennai are easily irritable compared to Mysore and it was the weather that does it. So he stayed you know where.

[abhibh]

Originally Posted by drifter

They are always being cut-off by smaller and faster cars. They can't close gaps in traffic as quickly as others which leads to other cars getting into their places. No wonder BEST drivers are a pissed-off lot.

That is why i love small cars