Some people believe that safe driving is all about knowing road rules, however, apart from those rules, there are other ones that should be followed. One example is safe seat adjustment. And if these rules are ignored, you may end up getting serious injuries even in a minor crash.
We conducted a little bit of research and now we can tell you how to make sure your brakes are working properly, as well as how to adjust the seat and many other useful things.
1. Adjust the driver’s seat correctly.
Many people believe that the right posture while steering the wheel is not that important. “I feel comfortable this way” or “It’s OK” — those are the phrases that drivers who don’t worry about their safety say. However, the driver’s posture should be determined according to the security protocol.
Correct posture in terms of safety:
This posture takes the pressure off the back and prevents the driver from getting tired during long trips.
Why is it so important? In an emergency, everyone acts instinctively. For example, everyone pushes their hands against the steering wheel before a collision, the feet at the same time are pushed against the pedals and the floor. Unfortunately, straightened knee and elbow joints can be injured even after a light crash.
An example of the wrong posture: Due to the incorrect seat back position, the driver’s body falls back and the arms have to actively hold on to the wheel, instead of simply steering it, because the driver is sitting too far from the wheel and pedals.
Slightly bent knees and elbow joints are better at softening a hit. First of all, you need to adjust the seat by the height and by the incline. For that, place your right foot on the brake pedal, push the clutch pedal all the way down with the left foot (if you drive an automatic car, place the left leg on the special shelf for rest). By pushing the seat forward, you’ll get the right bend in the knees.
It should look like this:
Now we need to adjust the angle of the back of the seat. When trying to straighten the legs, you should firmly push the floor and the pedals. Your body shouldn’t move up the back of the seat. If your body moves, place the seatback closer to a vertical position. The adjustment is considered correct if your body doesn’t fall back or forward.
The final adjustment step for the proper driving posture is finding the right position between you and the steering wheel:
- Your palm placed vertically should fit between your legs and the steering wheel.
- Stretch your arm. If your wrist touches the top point of the steering wheel, the distance is correct.
It should look like this:
2. Check brake hoses.
- Squealing and creaking sounds when braking.
- The brake pedal makes pulsating motions. This is acceptable only if ABS, an anti-lock braking system, is working.
- The car goes to the side when pressing the brake.
- There are traces of brake fluid leakage on the inner side of the wheel.
Don’t wait until you feel or hear one of these symptoms. You should watch the condition of your car’s brake pads and brake hoses. A slight crack in the hose may leave you without brakes at the most inopportune moment — in front of a pedestrian crossing, for example.
In order to check whether the brake hoses work properly, touch them. If they are firm and crack when trying to bend them, they need to be replaced. The hoses should be dry without any leaks. Please note: after replacing brake hoses, it’s necessary to bleed them.
3. Don’t take your heel off the floor to change from the gas pedal to the brake pedal.
It’s important to remember that when using the accelerate pedal, the foot always stands on the heel, while when pressing the brake pedal, the heel might not be able to reach the floor. It depends both on the foot size and on the distance between pedals.
