I had a minor disagreement with the other half over this issue and I was hoping someone could prove me (not him) right. :smile:

I prefer to sit so close to the steering wheel that my knees are almost touching the dash. My husband told me that might not be the best idea because of the airbags. He seems to think that the bags will deploy with such a force, that they will cause severe injuries to my face in the event of an accident. I've heard of this happening with early versions of the airbag technology, but I would hope that glitch would have been fixed by now.

Anyone know for sure? I will probably continue to sit the way I want anyway, but I just wanted to know if I'm putting my life in danger by being such an uptight driver.

 

I don't know for sure, but I would definitely guess that you're more at risk of airbag injury than I (who sits with the seat all the way back.

 

For the least amount of airbag rash and the most control while driving, you should sit back as far as you can while still being able to rest your wrists on the top of the steering wheel when your arms are outstretched. It definitely is safer to sit as far back as possible from the steering wheel if you are concerned about being injured by the airbag - although those injuries may be the least of your worries if you are in an accident, so sitting comfortably probably overrides all.

 

Your husband is right. Sitting too close to where the airbag deploys does put you at a greater risk for injury when the airbag is deployed. There isn't a sensor that detects how close you are sitting and thereby reducing the force is necessary.


I have read owners manuals and other items that said your chest needs to be 10-12" away from where the airbag deploys. So imagine a ruler between you and the center of the steering wheel.

I am always concious of that when I set the seat in any car.

 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/inju...-04/airbagfct/

National Highway Transportation and Saftey Administraion. Impartial authoritative source on the subject.

Let us know who was wrong!

 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's website says...

To avoid serious airbag injury risk, a driver of any size or age should always buckle up and sit at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel. Belted drivers potentially at risk are the very few positioned so the center of the chest is closer than 10 inches to the center of the steering wheel."

 

No, that is incorrect. NHSTSA and driving schools will tell you....

"The ideal arm position to have is; When you hold the steering wheel, you MUST have a nice comfortable bend in both arms. If your arms are stretched out, you are too far from the wheel. But if you have too much of a bend (cramped), you are too close to the wheel."

 

Actually the other post is correct. The teaching goes that if your arms are outstretched so that your wrists hit the top of the steering wheel, when you move your hands into proper driving position (9 & 3), you will have a slight bend in the elbows.

 

Thats why he said your "wrists" will be touch the top of the wheel. So when you reach back to grab the wheel with your hands in the correct position your arms should be bent.

Its just like biking or anything else where you legs or arms should be in a slightly bent position for you to be in the correct position. Hopefully your knee's and legs aren't all scrunched into the footwell as a frontal collision could end up in major leg injury.

How tall are you?

 

I'm sure my husband will enjoy being right. He usually does.

I'm on the taller side for women, 5'7''. Normally, I have the seat positioned so close that I have to click it back a notch or two to comfortably get out. Being so close makes me feel like a race car driver for some reason. But maybe I'll try to be a little bit more laid back.

I also like riding with the back completely straight. Kind of like this fatal accident waiting to happen from that previous link:

 

Gotta love the high heels in the pictures. I'de love to see a women heel-toe in high heels



haha

 

Your husband is utterly and completely wrong!

Now, move back from the @$%^ airbag.


Then, call my wife and tell HER. She's also 5'7", with long arms and STILL insists on practically gnawing on the steering wheel when she drives. I can understand needing leverage back in the days of no power steering, but given that IED in your sternum, you've got reason to move back.

 

Here is what Grass Roots Motorsports website says about seating position:

"[font=Times][size=4]Top 10 Basic Driving Mistakes :
[/size]Mistake #1: Improper Driving Position
The proper driving position is important because it helps you get the optimal feedback from your car's chassis while also keeping you from getting fatigued.
First, your seat should be adjusted so that you are able to depress the clutch completely and perform heel/toe braking without banging your knee on the steering column. You should also be able to use the dead pedal for support through high-g turns. Your shoulder harness should be tight so that you do not need to rely upon the steering wheel for support.
Next, you should have a 90- to 120-degree bend in your elbows with your hands in the proper 3 and 9 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. This will allow you to make a 180-degree turn of the wheel when you need to correct an oversteer slide.
Ideally, your thumbs should be in contact with the 3 and 9 spokes on the steering wheel. This gives you more direct feedback from the front suspension in case of an understeer situation. (Note: Since formula car and sports racer steering wheels are smaller in diameter, your arms should be straighter and have less bend at the elbows).
Finally, your butt should be tucked firmly into the seat back so that you can get feedback from the chassis and up through the seat. This will give you a better feel as to what the rear end of the car is doing. In keeping with the Zen philosophy of racing, you should become one with your car. Get comfortable, go faster."[/font]
[font=Times][/font]
http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com/topten.html

 

Is this a chick thing? A lot of the women I know (myself included) drive pretty close to the dash. Conversely, most of the men have their seats all the way back, reclined like the driver's seat is a lay-z-boy.

I used to think that my preferred seat position was an advantage in a car like the MINI. Whenever my husband and I have two adult passengers, I always drive because otherwise the poor folks in the back seat would have no room.

 

My wife tends to drive also fairly close to the steering wheel. On a car equipped with airbags this is far from being a safe practice. You have to keep at least 10 inches distance from your chest and the center steering wheel hub where the bag resides. Also, it is important to position your hands in the 3 and 9 o'clock positions respectively to avoid injuries to the hands in case of bag deployment.

If you are short in height and drive a manual transmission MINI, this could be a little of a challenge to properly adjust the seat to a safe and comfortable driving position. My wife drives a Cooper CVT, so there is no worries about reaching the clutch pedal.

I know that most guys like to drive with their seats low and reclined all the way back. That may look cool and be comfortable but I don't think that seating position promotes a very safe and alert driving posture. I tend to keep my seat somewhere in the middle (Not too high or too low) and the seat back at a 75 to 85 degree angle. Very comfortable upright position, gives me a good view of the road ahead and the sides and promotes alertness.

 

Here's another good little article summarizing several things re driving position:
http://www.mpi.mb.ca/english/dr_tips..._position.html

I have also read that it is advised not to wrap your thumbs around the wheel as they likely get broken in the event of an accident.

I must be in the minority, I've always preferred to sit back as far as possible and have to force myself not to over-recline away from the wheel. I like how someone else put it, I don't want to "gnaw" on the wheel

 

I'm a guy and like to sit close to the wheel. You can see more out of the windshield.

 

I have my seat adjusted so my wrists "break" over the top of the steering wheel.My legs are bent with the clutch depressed,I can hold myself in place with the foot rest.I have the seat back fairly upright.I like the seat lowered all the way down,Because I can look straight down the road,and see the rev counter{tach}.My steering wheel is set about a 1/4 of the way up from the bottom of the travel.
I like the seat in the lowest position,because on long motors one or two clicks up not only lifts you,but changes the tilt,helping to change posistions,without fumbling with to many levers to reduce stress.
I'm a 5'7" guy,about 160 lbs.
I do 100 mile commute everyday,90% highway.

 

Speaking for this chick, I also tend to sit closer to the wheel. I even move the passenger seat up when sitting there -- too much foot room leaves me feeling a little discombobulated, I guess. My ideal driving position is with the seat a few "clicks" back, but I can drive for quite a distance with the seat all the way foreward (If I've put the seatback forward to place my purse in the back, for example) before I think to move it back to a safer position.

I for one find it hard to adjust the MINI seat back for driving comfort. Straight up is too straight, but the next position has too much of a recline for me...

 

Me too. I have moved my seat back to get the wrists rest on the steering wheel, cant stand it. I like to be snug. I mean, theres definitely more then 10 inches there. Not much more though.

 

I have heard this as well, but I think this was wisdom from the old days before power steering. Besides, I couldn't even drive my automatic without putting my thumbs around the wheel.

 

Back away from the wheel!

There was a comment that it feels like a race car that way, which I agree, but unless the car has roll cages and harnesses that won't let you hit the wheel in the first place, you've got to stay back a bit. Everytime I see a driver sitting right on top of the wheel, I can't help but think, "man, that's gonna hurt". And, if you are wearing glasses or sunglasses, I wonder where those rascals will go when the bag goes off when you sit too close. You might have a hard time taking those back off.

Also, this was a big reason for adjustable pedals in other cars.

A coworker of mine was in an accident, and she had her thumbs wrapped around the wheel, when the bag blew, it caught her thumb and bent it backwards. She had pins and a cast for weeks. But how else would you hold the wheel, I can't worry about that part too much.

 

Because the airbag is behind the round MINI logo on the steering wheel,I would think you would have to have pretty long thumbs to get them in front of that
Plus on cars with much bigger airbag covers,I would think resting your thumbs on the cover would be worse that wraped around the wheel,out of the way.

 

"you would have to have pretty long thumbs to get them in front of that"

You are right about that

 

Broken thumbs is what I was taught happens if you are ejected from your vehicle through the windshield, for failure to wear a safety belt. So protect those thumbs and wear the belt.