The Blog

Driving Ergonomics

How to prevent potential musculoskeletal injuries from excessive driving

Sitting in a car isn’t the same as sitting in a chair. If your employees spend a lot of time in a vehicle, ensuring comfort and proper positioning can combat driver fatigue and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

Molly Woollett

16/02/24

The Blog

Driving Ergonomics

How to prevent potential musculoskeletal injuries from excessive driving

Sitting in a car isn’t the same as sitting in a chair. If your employees spend a lot of time in a vehicle, ensuring comfort and proper positioning can combat driver fatigue and prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

Author Name

16/02/24

Driving Ergonomics

Anyone who drives regularly is at risk of suffering discomfort or injury within their vehicle. The main causes of injury within a vehicle are as follows: Sitting for long periods of time/duration of driving e.g. traffic, delays etc and incorrect seating position.

RSDs and Symptoms

Many people who drive for large portions due to their work can suffer from a variant of RSI (repetitive strain injury) called repetitive driving injury (RDI), with the five most commonly experienced RDI symptoms being:

  • Foot cramp
  • Lumbar pain
  • Stiff neck
  • Side ache
  • Headache/eye strain

Causes of RDIs

  • Poor posture –Sitting for long periods of time in an incorrect posture is the number one cause of driver injuries. This can be as a result of personal habit or from an incorrectly fitted or improperly adjusted seat.
  • Vehicle vibrations – Whole-body vibration is another major cause of back pain among vehicle operators. Drivers can reduce the effect by adding extra padding over the seat to absorb much of the vibrations and minimise injury risk.
  • Shape of the vehicle seat – The design of the vehicle seat itself can cause pain or discomfort at pressure points. To avoid this, you should ensure your vehicles are fitted with ergonomically correct seats and made adjustments where necessary.

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Prevention

What can you do to prevent such injuries from occurring?

On-site physio

  • Steering wheel 20-25cm between the steering wheel and the driver’s chest
  • Seat height raise the seat as high as possible to ensure the eyesight is at least 7.6cm over the top of the steering wheel
  • Seat length the back of the knees is 3-6 cm from the front on the seat
  • Seat position move the seat forward/backward to ensure you can easily reach and operate the pedals with the full foot, not just the toes
  • Lumbar support adjust the seat back up-and-down and in-and-out to avoid gaps or pressure points in the back support area.

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