Driving Ergonomics 101

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin

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Ahhh, the wonderful world of driving, an adventure every time you get behind the wheel. As most of us can attest to, it can wear us down both mentally and physically (see Carlin's quote above).

Americans spend about 300 hours a year driving, which is a lot of time to be in one position. To further this problem, we typically have no escape from driving posture. What I mean is that yes, you have the freedom to stop and get out (unless you can't remember how to disable child locks), but we are unable to take a quick stand break.

My goal in this driving ergonomics post is to layout the ideal positioning for each body part, accessory set-up, common injuries/treatment, and simple tips.

This post is lengthier than usual, but I believe in providing a one-stop-shop for my readers that are drivers or in Racing Esports.

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Sit back, buckle up, and let's take a journey to knowledge town.

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Driving Ergonomics and Posture

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Head and Head Rest

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Limiting forward head posture is an on-going struggle throughout our lives, considering the majority of our activities are in front of us. While driving, we want to limit this position by keeping the earlobe behind the collarbone. This position will limit neck strain and headaches after prolonged periods of driving.

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The top of the headrest should line up with the top of your head. We want the headrest to support the head in a crash. If the rest is too low, it can cause serious injury as the neck performs a whiplash-type movement.

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Finally, although it is called a headrest, you want your head no more than an inch off the rest when possible. Granted, when you are feeling fatigued, feel free to use the rest, that's why you paid for it, right?

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Shoulders

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The shoulders should be touching the backrest and not hovering above. Ideally, your shoulders should be in a relaxed position. As seen in the office setting, shoulders that are in an upward position tend to lead to trapezius issues and headaches.

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Elbows

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The elbows should have a slight bend to them while gripping the wheel.

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Lumbar spine

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The low back is one of the most common areas of complaint with prolonged driving. I find this to be true as I drive for long stretches, as well. The first order of business is resting our back on the actual backrest (mind-blowing stuff here I know), but you may have seen the information that states sitting upright off the rest is preferred.

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The goal here is to utilize the seat support and shape to take the majority of the workload off of our supporting/stabilizing muscles of the L/S and T/S.

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We now need to address the tilt of the backrest. Once again, the ideal angle is NOT 90 degrees but rather a sweet spot between 100-110 degrees.

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Lastly, is the topic of the lumbar support and how to properly adjust it. Many vehicles now have built-in adjustable lumbar supports, which can be expanded or deflated depending on your preference. The adjustability here is strictly on what works for you and not some standard-issue preset. As you adjust, also remember you don't need to have a loaf of bread size support here. Even a small amount of support will place the lumbar spine in ideal curvature.

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I wish a car maker would add an adjustable control for the Y-axis (height) to the lumbar support (if this is already the case, feel free to correct me below). A 5'4" woman is going to have a different lumbar curvature location than a 6'2" guy. The fact that this Y-axis adjustable control isn't standard in most cars still boggles my mind. If you're an employee for a carmaker, please bring this up at your next bagel and assorted fruit meeting!

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After combing through numerous lists for the best lumbar support, the common consensus between them was the LoveHome support.

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Another option is to roll up a small towel and place it between your lumbar spine and the seat. This option is more of a quick fix since the towel will eventually lose its shape, move, or flatten out.

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Here's the consensus for a proper seat cushion as well.

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Lower Extremities

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Scoot your butt to the back of the seat to allow for optimal support. This may seem obvious, but we've all seen the little old lady sitting as close to the steering wheel as humanly possible.

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The knees should have a slight bend to them as you reach for the pedals. The goldilocks principle applies here with the slight bend theory. Your knees shouldn't be at 90 degrees, yet at the same time, you don't want your leg at full extension, straining for the pedal.

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Admission: Sometimes, I enjoy driving with my shoes off and just my big toe, is that weird? It does help that my big toe is "as big as a chicken nugget." Just a lovely mental picture for you to break up your reading.

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In all reality, the pedals of the car should be depressed with the "balls" of your feet. Applying pressure through the balls will ensure optimal transfer of force and prevent foot cramping.

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Seat Height

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The seat height should be as high as possible without hitting your head on the roof. This allows you to see the road (important right) and the instrumentation of the dash.

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Seat Tilt

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The actual tilt of the seat or seat pan should be relatively flat. Your thighs should come into contact with the seat but with no significant compression on them. If compression occurs here, you may notice numbness in your legs with prolonged driving.

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Steering wheel Grippin'

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We all grew up being told that having your hands at 10 and 2 is the ideal placement with your hands. However, experts in the field have retracted the 10/2 idea and replaced it with the 9/3 position.

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The 9/3 placement prevents fatigue in the trapezius/shoulder complex musculature. Fatigue here will cause tightness, soreness, headaches, and possible tingling in the fingers. Some experts have said that the 8/4 position is another option if you're feeling adventurous.

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The 9/3 position also prevents the interference of the airbag deployment. As a chiropractor who has handled hundreds of car accident cases, I see the after-effects of airbags, whether it is a shoulder injury, airbag residue in the eyes, or even minor burns on the extremities. Optimal deployment is crucial for saving your life, so listen up.

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Shifting

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Today many of us drive automatics or use shift paddles to shift gears. That being said, I do have a tip for my classic car drivers, while shifting limit the urge to grasp the shift knob and over-rotate your hand.

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As we limit the pronation of the wrist, we also limit strain in the forearm, which will lead to unnecessary pain and fatigue.

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Driving Breaks

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Taking breaks while driving is a tough ticket to sell to most of us, considering we want to get from A to B as quickly as possible. I recommend taking breaks every 45-60 minutes. However, I realize that 60-90 minutes is more doable, so I can't fault you for not wanting to stop so frequently.

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As you take a break, you'll want to get out of the car to reset your muscle patterns. I also highly recommend doing some simple stretches and movement patterns to keep you 100. I have a previous post here that covers some solid all-around stretches.

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Common Driving Injuries

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I'm not going to dive deep into the common injuries and structures involved, but I do cover them in previous posts, so I will link them here for low back pain, neck/headaches, and wrist/hand.

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MAJOR TIP

Once you have all of these changes implemented, set your mirrors up, this strategy will be used to make sure you're in the correct posture. As you begin to creep into poor posture after prolonged driving, you won't be able to see out of the mirrors. To see out of them, you'll need to correct your posture.

Life Hacks, You're Welcome.

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Wrap up

After chewing through that much driving ergonomics, it's essential to make these improvements in small bits rather than one massive swooping change. The small increments will train your body better, but also allow you to focus on them one at a time.

Questions? Leave them below.

Comments? Go on, tell us.

Game On,