Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or from being
struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
To reduce the chance of injury, wear
your seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat, and
move the seat away from the
steering wheel to the farthest
distance that allows you to maintain
full control of the car.
Most shorter drivers can get far
enough away from the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals.
However, if you are concerned about
sitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type
of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and forth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See page
for how to adjust the
front seats.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
adjust the seat so the center of the
chest is at least 10 inches away from
the center of the steering wheel. In
addition to adjusting the seat, you
can adjust the steering wheel in and
out (see page
).
Also make sure your front seat
passenger moves the seat as far to
the rear as possible.
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73
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Front Seats
2.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
