Check your daughter's driving position
Discussion
I know this has been all over this forum, but I thought it was worth repeating.
I see far too many young women driving around whilst sitting in ridiculous seating positions. Not only is this unsafe, but it breeds bad driving habits and limits the safe control of the car.
Drivers should be sitting as far away from the airbag as they comfortably can, while obviously still having full use of all the controls.
I'm not a dad, but I think parents and driving instructors need to make sure that their students/offspring aren't adopting these bad habits.
Yes, I know the opposite problem exists with young men, but as we all know, "It's cool, innit" and they won't be told. At least they arent driving with the steering wheel in their chest.
I see far too many young women driving around whilst sitting in ridiculous seating positions. Not only is this unsafe, but it breeds bad driving habits and limits the safe control of the car.
Drivers should be sitting as far away from the airbag as they comfortably can, while obviously still having full use of all the controls.
I'm not a dad, but I think parents and driving instructors need to make sure that their students/offspring aren't adopting these bad habits.
Yes, I know the opposite problem exists with young men, but as we all know, "It's cool, innit" and they won't be told. At least they arent driving with the steering wheel in their chest.
Absolutely. If the airbag fires, it will do a lot of damage to whatever it hits first. It's designed to inflate first, then act as a cushion as it deflates.
As an aside, can I also point out to those who insist on driving with their hands at the 'five-past-eleven' position, or worse still, both hands together at 'twelve o'clock' that the airbag WILL hit both wrists simultaneously and break them both, leaving the now-flappy hands to hit the face and break cheekbones and eye-sockets. It's not a pretty sight.
As an aside, can I also point out to those who insist on driving with their hands at the 'five-past-eleven' position, or worse still, both hands together at 'twelve o'clock' that the airbag WILL hit both wrists simultaneously and break them both, leaving the now-flappy hands to hit the face and break cheekbones and eye-sockets. It's not a pretty sight.
My daughter is fairly tall - 5'9" or so, and yet she still has the seat as far forward as you can get it. It's a bu""er when I need to drive it for a short distance. Why? I don't get it. I thought wimmin were supposed to have longer legs than men, in relation to their relative height? That would surely mean they would need to sit further back?
And it's not just young men who feel the need to look like they're in a racing car - I've seen plenty of "laid back" seats in cars belonging to 50 yr-olds. Not only can't they see over the dash, but any osteopath will tell you they gonna wreck their backs for life. Why do they think it's a cool look, when they're driving a poxy Micra or summat? Driving positions in single-seater race cars are laid-down for minimum wind resistance. You're sitting behind a windscreen in your road car FFS!
And it's not just young men who feel the need to look like they're in a racing car - I've seen plenty of "laid back" seats in cars belonging to 50 yr-olds. Not only can't they see over the dash, but any osteopath will tell you they gonna wreck their backs for life. Why do they think it's a cool look, when they're driving a poxy Micra or summat? Driving positions in single-seater race cars are laid-down for minimum wind resistance. You're sitting behind a windscreen in your road car FFS!
nicanary said:
My daughter is fairly tall - 5'9" or so, and yet she still has the seat as far forward as you can get it. It's a bu""er when I need to drive it for a short distance. Why? I don't get it. I thought wimmin were supposed to have longer legs than men, in relation to their relative height? That would surely mean they would need to sit further back?
In 99% of times when taking customers for test drives over the past 11 years women have wanted to be close to the wheel, high up and with the seat back almost vertical, men further away, low down and with the seat back laid back. Women want to be able to see the front corners, men don't care.
I think it has something to do with visability at junctions. By having the seat as far forward as possible, at the highest possible height and with the seat back bolt upright, you are about as far forward as you could possibly be and this helps at oblique junctions... However you or I would obviously have the seat in a more natural position with straighter arms and a slightly more reclined seat back, and lean forward at these unsighted junctions.
I pulled up next to a girl in a Yaris after work last night. I happened to look across as she was playing with her hair and her elbow was actually reaching past the steering wheel as she did so.
I pulled up next to a girl in a Yaris after work last night. I happened to look across as she was playing with her hair and her elbow was actually reaching past the steering wheel as she did so.
markmullen said:
In 99% of times when taking customers for test drives over the past 11 years women have wanted to be close to the wheel, high up and with the seat back almost vertical, men further away, low down and with the seat back laid back.
Women want to be able to see the front corners, men don't care.
Or basically, what he said!Women want to be able to see the front corners, men don't care.
I think OP is being unfair to lady drivers. Many of them are too short for anything other than the driving position they use. After all, they need to reach the pedals and the dashboard controls. My daughter is 5ft at best, so being a shorty, can only drive with the seat as far forward as it will go, and the backrest pretty much upright. It's not a great driving position, but the only one which will enable driving. As for the male yoofs who have the seat so low down,back as far as it will go, and laid back, that they cannot properly see over the dashboard, that is even worse. I am lucky that I can adopt what is supposed to be the ideal position. Seat back far enough that with the clutch dipped, there is still a bend in the leg, then put your arms at 12 0'clock on the steering wheel and have your hands just over the rim of the wheel.
markmullen said:
nicanary said:
My daughter is fairly tall - 5'9" or so, and yet she still has the seat as far forward as you can get it. It's a bu""er when I need to drive it for a short distance. Why? I don't get it. I thought wimmin were supposed to have longer legs than men, in relation to their relative height? That would surely mean they would need to sit further back?
In 99% of times when taking customers for test drives over the past 11 years women have wanted to be close to the wheel, high up and with the seat back almost vertical, men further away, low down and with the seat back laid back. Women want to be able to see the front corners, men don't care.
As a guide - Sitting comfortably, with your arm stretch out, your wrist should touch the top of the steering wheel.
You should then be able to drive comfortably with your hands at roughly 10 past 10.
If either hand is not on the wheel during normal driving (i.e one hand on the gear knob
- Really bugs me that one), you are NOT in full control of the vehicle.
You should then be able to drive comfortably with your hands at roughly 10 past 10.
If either hand is not on the wheel during normal driving (i.e one hand on the gear knob
- Really bugs me that one), you are NOT in full control of the vehicle.markmullen said:
Another generalisation that is usually true, ladies usually wang the climate control around to tropical levels whereas men would rather shiver.
Another generalisation is that women cant drive and men are driving gods. I know plenty of men who think they are good drivers but really they are w
k!Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
As a guide - Sitting comfortably, with your arm stretch out, your wrist should touch the top of the steering wheel.
You should then be able to drive comfortably with your hands at roughly 10 past 10.
If either hand is not on the wheel during normal driving (i.e one hand on the gear knob - Really bugs me that one), you are NOT in full control of the vehicle.
I'm not at all sure that's justified as an inflexible rule that applies in all circumstances.You should then be able to drive comfortably with your hands at roughly 10 past 10.
If either hand is not on the wheel during normal driving (i.e one hand on the gear knob
- Really bugs me that one), you are NOT in full control of the vehicle.Still, you seem pretty well convinced about it. Would you care to explain why it is necessary to have both hands on the steering wheel at all times, except (presumably) when making gearchanges?
Shurv said:
I think OP is being unfair to lady drivers. Many of them are too short for anything other than the driving position they use. After all, they need to reach the pedals and the dashboard controls. My daughter is 5ft at best, so being a shorty, can only drive with the seat as far forward as it will go, and the backrest pretty much upright. It's not a great driving position, but the only one which will enable driving. As for the male yoofs who have the seat so low down,back as far as it will go, and laid back, that they cannot properly see over the dashboard, that is even worse. I am lucky that I can adopt what is supposed to be the ideal position. Seat back far enough that with the clutch dipped, there is still a bend in the leg, then put your arms at 12 0'clock on the steering wheel and have your hands just over the rim of the wheel.
I don't think I'm being 'unfair' at all. It is a trend I have observed pretty much exclusively among younger women which poses a potential safety issue. I am simply voicing my concerns so that parents, friends, instructors etc of women who adopt unneccesarily forward driving positions can advise them.Obviously if your daughter needs to sit that far forward to operate the controls, then it may well be the best position she could be in, and I'm not going to suggest that she changes it!
It is just that these days, modern cars have very adjustable seats and most have some facility for steering wheel reach adjustment. I think in many cases just a few minutes spent playing around with the knobs and levers to adjust the driving position could make an improvement.
ETA ...and I hate to generalise, but in my experience men are more likely to take the time to figure out how to adjust the seat base height, angle, steering colum rake/reach etc than women, who seem to simply slide the seat as far forward as it goes and then set the back into the emergency landing bolt upright position.
Edited by HustleRussell on Thursday 28th November 16:25
nicanary said:
And it's not just young men who feel the need to look like they're in a racing car - I've seen plenty of "laid back" seats in cars belonging to 50 yr-olds. Not only can't they see over the dash, but any osteopath will tell you they gonna wreck their backs for life.
Actually, you are quite wrong, here - it is now realised that the sharper the angle between torso and thigh, the GREATER the risk of lower back problems... Believe it or not, the human skeleton is not very well suited for sitting upright - that is why you are supposed to get up and walk around every 20 minutes, when working at a desk/computer...I know about this - I found out the hard way, with 5 prolapsed discs, in 5 years - ALL from sitting upright at a desk for too long, without breaks: I now look a right slouch in meetings, but I don't care - it means I can hopefully avoid another 6 weeks lying flat on a hard floor in my lounge
My wife does this. She wants to be able to see the end of the bonnet. She drives a MK5 Golf, it slopes away. She sits so high and close to the wheel. I keep telling her it's dangerous. I don't get why she can't just judge the end of the car like I do. She's going to be sorry when she has a crash and the way she drives it's when rather than if.
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