Whether your commute is 20 minutes or two hours, sitting with poor posture can cause pain and damage over time.
If you have any summer trips planned, you’ll want to make sure you arrive pain-free. Our tips for safe posture while driving will go a long way to help ensure that you stay in good physical condition when you arrive at your destination.
Tips for Driving With Correct Posture
- Knees and Legs: Make sure you are able to comfortably reach the pedals and that your knees are level with or higher than your hips. Your knees should be bent at about 120-135 degrees.
- Lower Back: If you’re like most people, you have a tendency to round your back while driving. Most new car seats come with adjustable lumbar (lower back) support to prevent this from happening. If your car doesn’t have this, you could use a rolled up blanket or a small pillow to create a similar effect. When doing this, it is important to make sure you aren’t going overboard with your arch. If you have a jabbing sensation in your lower back, the support is likely too thick.
- Elbows: Be sure you are not flaring out your elbows. Keep them low and close to your body.
- Hands: Unless you are shifting gears in a manual transmission, hold the steering wheel with both hands at all times. Keep your hands on the wheel, but make frequent adjustments in the positioning of your hands to promote healthy circulation.
- Seat Position: Adjust your seat so that it is as high as it can comfortably go, but make sure you’re still able to: maintain complete vision of the road, keep your head from hitting the car roof, and allow your feet to reach the pedals comfortably.
We hope these tips help to save your back and your sanity while driving!
