A few days ago as I was travelling in an auto-rickshaw (am in India and the 3-wheeler auto-rickshaw is one of  the  travel options that is available) when I realized something as the auto (short for auto-rickshaw)  went into the umpteenth pothole.

For those of you who have not traveled in India ,potholes and bumps in the road are a pretty common sight here (the situation is thankfully improving with every new year).

Because of riding/driving on these bad roads, frequent commuters get some kind of ache or the other. But Auto-rickshaw commuters are especially susceptible simply because of the way the vehicle is designed– > One Wheel in front,Two wheels at the back.

This makes it extremely difficult for auto-rickshaws to circumvent road bumps and pot-holes compared to a car (where you can just let the potholes or bumps go between the wheels) or bikes (where both the wheels are along the same axis and hence easy for maneuvering/avoiding potholes).

So,autos run into more bumps than cars/bikes which in turn, has an indirect impact on your physique.

If you conduct a general word-of-mouth survey of road users in India,you will come to the conclusion that auto-rickshaw drivers are generally rash drivers because they swerve at the last moment ( I am not considering the behavior of bike riders here simply because in the absence of concrete road rules and the small breadth-wise space occupied by the vehicle,one is bound to take liberties).Well, the design of the vehicle is what makes the auto drivers swerve to avoid bumps/potholes.

So,next time,you silently curse an auto driver,spare a thought : He is driving within the limitations of his vehicle’s design.