The importance of being seated correctly

By Barry Lake

SITTING correctly in a motor car has always been important, for safety as well as for comfort.

It is essential to safe driving to be able to operate the steering wheel, gear shift and pedals comfortably, without stretching and without being too cramped to move freely.

Good vision, too, is necessary for safe driving.

Drivers of smaller stature in particular should ensure the seat is high enough to enable them to see clearly over the steering wheel and the hood of the car.

A further reason for taking care to sit correctly in the driving seat of a car is that the effectiveness of seat belts and air bags depends on the occupant sitting in the optimum position for each to perform its function correctly.

Sitting correctly in the driving seat can help you to avoid accidents, and also can help to minimize the consequences in the event of a crash.

Automotive seating has come a long way over the years. How drivers of yesteryear managed to control cars when seated on a flat, slippery bench seat without even the aid of a seat belt to locate them, is a matter of wonderment.

These days, we have individual bucket seats in the front of most cars. Some are better than others, of course, but all are way ahead of what we lived with in the past.

Wrap around sides help to locate us, and head restraints provide protection for the neck in the event of a collision.

We also have plenty of fore and aft adjustment, seat height adjustment in many cars, rake adjustment of the back-rest, and in many cases, the additional aid of fully adjustable steering wheels to match the wheel to the seat.

There is even adjustable lumbar support in many higher-level car models to further individualize the seating position for maximum comfort.

It is worth remembering that, on a long journey, a comfortable driver is a safer, as well as happier driver.

It is important to remember that a steering wheel is a tool for guiding the car, not a handle for the driver to hold to keep him or her in the seat.

One of the major problems for automotive seat designers is the need to accommodate a wide range of drivers. Seats tend to be wider between the side bolsters to allow room for larger bodied occupants, so slimmer or smaller-framed drivers don't have the level of support they really require.

Help is on the way even in this area, however, with some expensive cars offering adjustable side support. The tendency over recent years has been for features such as this to gradually filter their way down to lower-level models. It is reasonable to assume that some day, fully adjustable seating will be available to most, if not all, drivers.

Modern day safety levels provide us with seats that are firmly attached to the car so they and the belts and air bags can work together to contain us during a crash situation. Seat backs also are capable of withstanding loads put on them by rear passengers or objects being flung against them by the high G-forces of a collision.

Additionally, one of the more recent developments is the provision of a strengthened framework below the front bolster that guides the torso down into the seat in the event of a crash, rather than allowing the occupant to slide forward, derriere- first, under the seat belt's lap-strap, thus losing the benefit of that life-saving device.

It all adds up to greater comfort and safety than has been available ever before in motor cars, backed up by ever-continuing development on all fronts.