How far should you be from the steering wheel?
The driver should have sufficient room (25 - 30 cm or 10 - 12 in) between the steering wheel and his or her chest (breast bone) in order for the seat belt and air bag to provide the maximum safety protection in case of a crash.
How Far Away From the Steering Wheel Should You Be? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 10 or more inches is the appropriate distance between a driver and their steering wheel.
To minimize the potential of any air-bag-related injury, NHTSA still recommends keeping a 10-inch minimum between the air bag cover (in the center of the steering wheel for drivers and on the dashboard for the right front passenger), maintaining a proper seating position, and moving the seat as far back as possible ( ...
How far away should you sit from the steering wheel ? Why? At least 10 inches away from the center of your chest to the steering wheel because the air bag won't hit you in the face.
Drivers should sit with their chests at least 10 inches away from the center of the steering wheel. Shorter drivers who need the seat positioned further forward can often achieve this by slightly reclining the seatback.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that roughly 10 inches or further is an optimal distance between a driver and their steering wheel, due to the amount of power that an airbag can produce when it deploys, this will help keep you safe.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the driver's seat should be at least 10 inches from the steering wheel. Airbag manufacturers design for this distance, and staying within it keeps you safer.
The National Safety Council recommends a minimum three-second following distance. Determining the three-second gap is relatively easy. When following a vehicle, pick an overhead road sign, a tree or other roadside marker.
Tips: Always keep at least 10 inches between the center of your chest and the steering wheel cover or dashboard. Drivers and front passengers should sit in the center of the seat upright against the seatback with feet on the floor.
Use the three-second rule to ensure a safe following distance and avoid a collision. Following other vehicles at a safe distance gives you enough time to react if another driver makes a mistake. If a vehicle merges in front of you too closely, take your foot off the accelerator.
How many inches should there be at least between the driver's chest and the steering wheel group of answer choices?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends drivers sit with at least 10 inches between the center of their breastbone and the center of the steering wheel.
always leave a safe following distance between you and the vehicle in front. you need two seconds of space in good weather. increase your following distance to 3 seconds on high speed roads and to 4 seconds in bad weather conditions or on even or slippery roads.
Most good drivers look at least 12 to 15 seconds ahead. That means looking ahead the distance you will travel in 12 to 15 seconds. At lower speeds, that's about one block. At highway speeds it's about a quarter of a mile.
“To be fully protected from an airbag in a crash, we recommend that you stay at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel,” Becky Mueller, a research engineer with the IIHS, said. That's roughly the distance between your wrist and elbow.
As a general rule you want to sit as low as possible with your legs straight, and your body is stretched out. This gives a nice low centre of gravity, the steering wheel is moved closer to your body, and the low seat base adds to the feeling of speed when you are driving.
Never drive with your hips lower than your knees. Your knees should be slightly bent, but your feet should still be able to reach the pedals easily for good control. Head/Neck: Your neck should be upright, with the center of the back of your head touching the center of the headrest.
Sit with your body all the way back in your seat.
Your back should be pressed against the backrest, and your bottom should be as far back in your seat as possible. Avoid driving with your body scorched forward; if you can't reach the pedals or steering wheel, adjust your seat, not your body.
If seated in your normal driving position, with your arms fully extended, the steering wheel should rest at your wrist. Any closer and you risk severe injury on airbag deployment.
How to check the Two-Second Rule. Take note of the vehicle in front when they pass a post or other stationary landmark, then count two-seconds. You should NOT arrive at the same spot before the two-seconds are up. If you are too close, then carefully drop back and retest the gap.
Without sufficient space between vehicles, they cannot stop in time if the car in front brakes suddenly. The 3-second rule advises you to keep a distance of three car lengths between you and the car in front.
How far from the vehicle in front of you should you stop Why?
You should stop at a distance from the car in front of you where you can still see where their rear tires touch the pavement. That's what Mr. Kowalke taught in driving class back when I took it, so the training is consistent.
Distance Between Chest and Steering Wheel (See Figure 3)
If deployed in a crash, the air bag is meant to absorb crash forces at the broadest part of the body, the upper torso/chest, (not the head). Sitting at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel offers a safe distance should your air bag need to deploy.
To position yourself at the correct distance from the steering wheel, sit back in the driver's seat and extend your arm straight forward, toward the wheel. You should then adjust the wheel or seat position until your wrist is lined-up with the top of the steering wheel.
The cover braking technique involves taking your right foot off the accelerator and holding it over the brake pedal. If you have to stop quickly, your foot is already above the brake pedal and is in the perfect position to press the brake. This method will improve your reaction time.
If you are driving below 40 mph, you should leave at least one second for every 10 feet of vehicle length. For a typical tractor-trailer, this results in 4 seconds between you and the leading vehicle. For speeds over 40 mph, you should leave one additional second.
Position 1: The center of the lane. This is where you should be most of the time. Not too hot, not too cold; just right with a little space cushion on both sides.
Quote From The CDL Manual:
Most good drivers look 12-15 seconds ahead. That means looking ahead the distance you will travel in 12-15 seconds. At lower speeds, that's about one block. At highway speeds it's about one-quarter of a mile.
Keep windows free of obstructions–never put anything in your windows that will block your view. When driving in traffic, glance in mirrors every 5 to 8 seconds. Check your mirrors any time prior to braking or slowing down. Check the mirror and blind spots prior to all turns and lane changes.
There is no downside to looking as far down the road as you can. Many drivers focus on the road only 5 or 8 seconds ahead, when really they should be concentrating 15-20 seconds in front of you (at a minimum!). In practice, this means keeping your eyes UP and concentrating down the road.
Use the three-second rule to ensure a safe following distance and avoid a collision. Following other vehicles at a safe distance gives you enough time to react if another driver makes a mistake. If a vehicle merges in front of you too closely, take your foot off the accelerator.
How far away should you sit from an airbag?
The number one tip for airbag safety for short drivers is keeping a safe distance from the air-bag in their steering wheel. NHTSA recommends that there be 10 inches between the air-bag cover and a driver's breastbone. This is best achieved by adjusting your seat position or through the use of pedal extensions.
The resulting injuries could be bruises, internal damage, loss of concussions, broken bones or even death in extreme circ*mstances. The greatest risk in sitting too close to the steering wheel, however, lies in the deployment of the airbag.
You can help avoid hitting someone else or being hit by following the three-second rule whenever possible. If someone is too close behind you, it's best to let them pass so they aren't too close to stop in time, when necessary.
Typically, the average length of a car is around 14.7 feet. Different manufacturers and models will have varying car sizes, and standard automobiles and trucks are typically between 10-18 feet long.
Hand position on steering wheel
Lower your hands. You probably learned to keep your hands at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions on the steering wheel. Today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends drivers put their hands at the 9 and 3 o'clock positions.
Utilize the "5,10,20 Rule." Stay five inches away from side-curtain airbags, 10 inches from the driver's airbag and 20 inches from the passenger airbag.
Car manufacturers typically design airbags to protect an adult who's at least 5 feet tall and roughly 150 pounds. Even if a child is wearing a seat belt correctly when riding in the front seat, they're more likely to sustain injuries from a passenger airbag than an adult.
Never place an infant in a rear-facing child safety seat in the front seat with an air bag. In a crash, the air bag comes out of the dashboard with its force directed at the back of the infant's head if riding in the front passenger seat. The rear seat is the safest place in the car for children younger than 13 years.
Your hands should be where the “two” and “10” numbers would be. NHTSA's recommendations have changed in recent years, however. The organization now suggest drivers lower their hands a bit to the “9 and 3” position.
If possible and if you feel in control, sliding your hands down to 8 and 4 is a pro defensive driving move: For starters, 8 and 4 further reduces your risk of injury if the airbag should deploy because your hands will just be pushed into your lap instead of flying upwards or towards your face.
