Your Posture Can Have a Serious Effect on Your Driving

There was once a time when the seats on your car (or truck or SUV) existed in basically one position. Adjustments were possible, sure, but they mainly involved moving the position of the seat forwards and backwards. We’ve come a long way from those bygone days, to a point where — depending on the model — virtually every part of a driver’s seat can be meticulosity adjusted and customized.

Just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should, however. There’s evidence that driving while in the wrong posture can be harmful to your body in the long run — leading to chronic back pain, among other issues.

In an article for Jalopnik, Kyle Hyatt explored some of the best practices surrounding driver’s seat posture —and points out that some of the better ways to sit in one’s vehicle have benefits that go beyond making driving easier. Specifically, the way you sit can also affect whether or not you’re injured in a collision — something most drivers would seek to avoid.

Hyatt directs readers to a video from Mighty Car Mods, in which driver Josh Buchan offers various tips on seat position. In the video, Buchan recommends lowering the seat as far as possible. Why? “It naturally projects your vision further up the road,” he explained. He also recommends having your legs in a position where they can brace themselves against the back of their seat.

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Buchan also offered recommendations as far as hand positions on the wheel — at 3 and 9, respectively — and where your hands should be relative to your shoulders. (Level with them.) It’s an informative look at small things you can do that can have a significant influence on your health behind the wheel.