Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (310) 245-0332 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

5 Ways to Feel More Comfortable When You Drive

Posted by Janice Wood, April 24, 2018

You might find that time spent behind the wheel of your car leaves you aching and sore. That’s because sitting still in any position can lead to stiffness or pain, especially when you’re not sitting in a way that supports your muscles and joints appropriately. These problems can worsen as we get older, so it’s even more important to choose sitting positions that protect your shoulders, neck, back, and hips.

The following five tips can help you find a more ergonomic seating position in the car, especially if you’re driving.

Adjust your seat height. You should be able to see out of your rearview and side mirrors, and you should be sitting high enough that you can easily view the road in front of you.

Sit up straight. Slumping leads to posture problems and backaches. If you’re tall, make sure any car you’re considering for purchase gives you plenty of head room. You should sit with your hips and buttocks resting evenly against the seat, and your shoulders squared against the backrest.

Adjust your seat forward or back, as needed. You should be able to reach the pedals without having to stretch uncomfortably. At the same time, you don’t want your knees bent too high and uncomfortably.

Adjust the steering wheel (or your seat) so that you can reach it comfortably. As with your pedals, you don’t want to stretch too hard to reach the steering wheel. On the other hand, you also don’t want it in your lap. Grasp the wheel with arms in front of you, slightly bent at the elbows.

Level your sitting position. Bucket seats tip backward, which actually isn’t a very ergonomic position for long periods of sitting. If you have the option, tip the seat bottoms so that they’re level. If your seats aren’t adjustable, use a towel or wedge-shaped seat cushion to create a level sitting surface.

These days, most newer vehicles incorporate a feature that “remembers” your preferred seat positions. So, if you share a car with your spouse or someone else, you can actually program it to adjust back to the right settings with a touch of a button. Check your car’s manual to see if you have this option, or ask the dealership where you purchased your vehicle. Spending just a few minutes to adjust your driving position can save you a lot of aches and pains in the future.

Need more information?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close