If it’s hell for drivers, it’s hell for passengers, too.
“The ergonomic study conducted by the College of Engineering of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman identified hazards in the work of jeepney drivers by assessing randomly selected drivers within the UP-Diliman campus. They measured vehicle components while the drivers are maneuvering the vehicles. They also interviewed the drivers regarding their work experience,”
reports Rosette Adel on Philstar.com.
The report noted: “The research showed inadequacies in current dimensions of jeepneys. For one, the average height of a driver’s seat is 32.44 centimeters (cm), shorter than the average length of the usual lower leg of 45.27 cm. The average back rest height of a driver’s seat at 53.89 cm is also inadequate even with the head rest. Moreover, the researchers also discovered that side mirrors cause unwarranted difficulty for drivers who need to constantly adjust them. About 44% of the rear-view mirrors examined were fixed and unadjustable to suit the preference of the driver.”
The study stated, “Public jeepneys manufactured in the Philippines are produced at minimum cost; jeepneys do not undergo proper design planning procedures that other vehicles are subjected to, thus resulting to poorly designed workspace detrimental to the health of the drivers.”
It added: “The drivers just choose to ignore these problems simply because there will be monetary costs in solving these problems and because they have grown accustomed to these conditions.
