Adjust the driver's seat — or face back pain and serious road risks

BERLIN: The driver's seat is pushed back as far as it will go, until it's almost in a reclining position. The eyeline is at the same level as the window. Just one hand rests lightly on the steering wheel.

Some drivers think it's cool to sit this way. But an incorrectly adjusted front seat is bad for your back and dangerous for others.

According to the ADAC, Europe's largest motoring club, and a German association that promotes healthy backs (AGR), seat adjustment is a highly individual matter, as not everyone's body is built the same.

In the past, car seats could be adjusted mostly for inclination and amount of foot room, but much more is possible nowadays. Modern car seats can be adjusted for height, inclination and surface area. Many also come with bolsters and lumbar support built into the seat.

Perfect adjustments come at a cost

The more precisely that a seat can be adjusted to fit a driver, the better. That said, better seats usually cost more money. However, all those options are useless if the driver doesn't use them properly.

To find the right adjustment, the driver should first place his or her backside against the backrest. The backrest should be adjusted so that there is an angle of about 110 degrees between the thigh and the torso. Shoulder blades and the lumbar spine should be well-supported.

Foot room is correct when the feet can still comfortably reach the pedals and the legs are slightly bent when using the car's pedals.

The seat should be adjusted so the thighs are lightly supported and there is a width of three fingers between the back of the knee and the seat edge, says AGR. This ensures better distribution of pressure on the seat surface and prevents pressure on the back of the knee.

A cushion can't replace lumbar support

The seat height should be set so that the driver can easily see all around him or her, says AGR, and it should be as high as possible.

However, there should always be a hand's width of space between the head and the roof. The ADAC advises setting seat height so the driver's eyeline is about the halfway point of the front windscreen.

Lumbar support means ensures the spine is supported in its natural shape. Depending on the model, switches, joysticks or wheels often found at the bottom left of the seat are used to adjust support.

The adjustment should always be made from the bottom up; according to the AGR, the pelvic area is the most important for support.

If you don't have such adjustments, the solution is not to stuff a cushion between the back and the backrest, as this can become extremely dangerous in an accident, according to the ADAC. Instead, drivers should look for accessories that allow them to retrofit the seat; they just have to be installed in a way that they can't slip.

According to the experts, you want about 25 to 30 centimetres between the torso and the airbag steering wheel. The steering wheel is well-adjusted if you can rest your wrist on top of the rim with your shoulders resting against the backrest while your arm is stretched.

The dangers in improper headrest adjustments

When driving, your hands should be at the 9-and-3-o'clock positions on the steering wheel. Your arms should always be bent, not straight, and the shoulders should always be pushed up against the backrest.

A word of warning: The headrest should be as high and steep as possible, and adjusted so that it protects the head but does not support the neck. If you set it too low, you risk serious head and spinal injuries in an accident. The AGR advises that the upper edge of the headrest should be flush with the upper edge of the head.

Looking back at the example of poor driving from earlier, the issues are clearer: The driver's back is barely in contact with the backrest, the seatbelt is no longer optimally positioned and it's impossible to hit the brakes with enough force in case of an emergency. As for driving with one hand: That driver is likely to be overwhelmed in an emergency situation; evasive manoeuvres would become "unpredictable pulling without any accuracy," says the ADAC.

And if the airbag is deployed, the force of one's own arm can become a danger if it's resting on top of the steering wheel at the time.