Having good posture is important for when you do a lot of sitting. This is especially true if your job has you constantly driving. Your driving posture is key for avoiding injures. Therefore, it’s crucial you know what you should or shouldn’t do…

Driving Posture: Avoid Injuries

Adjust your seat

Many issues relating to driving posture come from not having a well-adjusted seat. Usually, drivers won’t have enough back support, which leads to back pains. They also won’t have their seat properly supporting their thighs. This limits the blood flow in the legs, and cause vein-related issues down the line.

Ideally, you want to slide your tailbone as close to the back of the seat as possible. It’s good to try and have a two- or three-finger gap between the back of your knees and the front of your seat. You should also have as much of your thighs as possible on the seat, with your knees slightly below your hips. This helps with blood flow while also relieving tension on the hips.

Watch where you sit

How close you are to the steering wheel is also important for good driving posture. Sitting too close to the steering wheel is not just uncomfortable. Studies have shown it can also increase the risk of serious injuries in an accident.

At the same time, you can’t be too far away that it becomes hard to keep control of your car. Instead you should have your seat where you can easily reach the pedals with the full range of your foot. That way, you’ll have plenty of control over the car while also being as safe as possible.

Support vital areas

In an accident, the head, neck, and back are some of the most at-risk areas for injuries. Therefore, you should be sure that these locations in particular are well supported. For instance, your seat should be angled at just a little over 90 degrees. Leaning too far forwards or backwards can place a lot of strain on the back or head and neck, respectively.

You won’t want to overlook your headrest either. The top of the headrest should be between the top of your ears and head. When driving, you should just faintly be able to feel it. This is important for avoiding severe whiplash injuries in an accident.