Whenever I stop at the traffic lights and look around, chances are that I see a guy in his car in a wrong posture. This is not to say that we have a distaste for that. We all have our way to do things. But sitting with those postures could pose harm to themselves as well as others’ lives, especially when an accident unfortunately occurs. Damage to neck and spine could last forever due to improper seating like that.

Now you know how those postures can do to you, it’s time for us Automilas.com to provide you with tips on how to prevent it from happening.

1. Keep a safe distance from the steering wheel

Your back should be in a comfortable position where your back contours the shape of the seat. At the same time, your arm should not be overextended or too bent. This can not only let you be in better control of your vehicle but also reduce the impacts should an accident occur, from the collision and even the airbag.

To avoid smashing your heads and breaking your arms, keep a proper distance to your steering wheel

2. Maintain a proper leg position

More often than not, we see those supermodels in diaphanous dresses sitting awkwardly in a car cabin and stretching their seemingly endlessly long legs. This is clearly for show and not anyone should follow this image.

Keeping your leg completely straight always hide a threat especially when there’s a potential force applied to your foot, for example when there’s an abrupt stop. The potential force would not be diverted by the knee joint but instead transfer directly to your spine, which is extremely dangerous.

3. Adhere to standard back posture

Keeping your back in an upright position is always good. Not only will it prevent you from the chronic back pain in the future, but it can also temporarily attach your body to the seat, thus transfer part of any potential force, if any, to the seat and reduce the risk of breaking your bones.

Having your back upright benefits either immediately or in the long run

4. Keep your face outward from the center of the steering wheel

Do you know that if the airbag exploded, it would be from the center of the steering wheel? While it does protect your life when needed, the force of that would potentially break your nose and might damage your eyes. Therefore, make sure the center of your steering wheel (usually having logo on it), is tilted down your chest position.

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5. Adjust your seat to the reasonable height

Sitting too low could block the view of the road and it is obviously harmful. Sitting too high, on the other hand, is equally bad as it would block the flow of the blood to your legs if the position is kept for too long. Also, your head could likely hit the roof when an accident happens. From these scenarios, you could find a reasonable position for your seat next time getting in a car.

Driving schools should put more emphasis on driving position

 6. Go easy with your thumbs

It is important that you should have a firm grip of your steering wheel but at the same time don’t wrap your fingers around it as if you want to squeeze out some “juice” out of it. You don’t want your thumbs get disjointed when an accident occurs, do you?

7. Let your legs “breathe”

Some people have the habit of keeping all kinds of stuff in their pockets to the point that there appears to be a big “Ball” on their thigh. This could pose some harm of course, as it prevents your bloodstream to flow freely and thus slow down your leg reaction in case, say, you have to use the brake swiftly.

Stuffing your pockets would be harmful if you are driving a car, keep it in the tableau