Analysis on the Design of Two Wheelers in India Keeping Women Drivers in Mind

Abstract

In India, the number of female drivers is increasing every day. The need to validate and improve the standards followed in the design of vehicles used by women is more important than is actually considered. The present paper analyses the design and positioning of brake lever and horn switch in the handle of Indian mopeds/scooterettes. The design has been done keeping the palm anthropometric measurements of an average Indian female driver in mind. After interviewing some female drivers and studying a few accidents involving females driving two wheelers, it has been found that operating the brake handle and the horn switch simultaneously on the move is more difficult than anticipated by the designers. For the present study, palm anthropometric measurements of 25 women have been taken and the average is compared against the design measurements taken from the mopeds of 5 mostly used models in India. The results showed that the design is not safe for the driver and needs improvements. Some suggestions of change in design have been made in this paper. The researchers sincerely believe, that, this design changes will help in increase of driving comfort, reduction of repetitive motion injuries and also in the reduction in the number of accidents caused due to this faulty design.