Each week the average American will spend approximately 11.75 hours in their vehicle, totaling over 611 hours in a year! Ergonomic design, support, and safety of the car seats is obviously an important feature for any customer when you consider the significant amount of time spent in the vehicle. I’d like to spend the rest of this article detailing the top 6 “ergonomic essentials” for creating a comfortable and safe car seat.
Essential #1 – Effective support of the legs. The seat pan’s leading edge must be soft so as not to stop blood flow to the lower legs, which can lead to Thrombosis (blood clots). There should be some lateral support to the upper legs to prevent side rollout of the feet and to prevent fatigue during long trips. This shaping of the seat pan can be referred to as a semi “bucket” seat. Bucket seats where originally designed for racing cars to keep the driver firmly in the seat in case of a crash.
Essential #2 – Proper “sit bone” support. The hip area holds your bodies sit bones (lschial tuberosities) which act as the abutments for the bridge formed with the two halves of the pelvis and the coxsis. Without proper padding, the bridge and “sit bones” will sag. This is where a good quality cushion able to handle up to 400 lbs comes along and protects the body from bumps which propel your body down twice as fast as gravity when traveling in the vehicle.
Essential #3 – Lumbar support. Proper lumber support should be no less than 10” curved and extending 2” out from the lower seat back surface at 8” above the reference plane of the seat. When the seat pad is at its most compressed point is when we see the level seat reference plane. A seat adjustment is only necessary when little or no “hump” exists.
Essential #4 – Support for the concave spinal areas. A backward curve or “convex” shape is characteristic of the thoracic spine. The upper back tends to need less support than the lower back because of spreading “fins” in the spinal process. Concave areas of the spine need more support than the convex areas. Medium durometer “closed cell” foam rubber can provide support in the best way possible for the spine.
Essential #5 – Cervical spine protection. The upper part of the spinal column is known as the cervical spine and is both fragile and overlooked in automotive seat design. Weighing between 10-15 lbs the erector muscles in the neck work hard to balance the head with the rest of the body. Whiplash is a common ailment when in an accident because of the lack of neck support. Over 120,000 reported cases of whiplash are reported each year with the potential of that figure being up to 3 times higher. The headrest needs to be designed for cervical support and prevent whiplash.
Essential #6 – Headrest placement. The occipital bone connects the head to the neck and is the typical touch point on a headrest. The problem with typical headrest placement is that they are mounted too far back, leading to a slouched posture and general discomfort during long trips.
One of the greatest selling features of a car is driver comfort, and the key to giving your customers the greatest comfort and safety possible is a truly ergonomically designed car seat. Not only will your customers enjoy a healthier, more pleasant driving experience throughout the life of the car, they will also have a better test drive experience that may very well make the difference between a sale that is lost or gained. Incorporating authentic ergonomic design into your next car seat is not only good for your customer’s safety, wellbeing and happiness; it’s also great for your company’s bottom line.
For more information on how you can take advantage of high quality ergonomic designs check out Bryan Dressler website at www.ergonomicdesigner.com.