Citation

Reed MP, Manary MA, Flannagan CA, Schneider LW. Hum. Factors 2000; 42(4): 541-552.

Affiliation

University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor 48109-2150, USA. mreed@umich.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11324849

Abstract

The effects of vehicle package, seat, and anthropometric variables on posture were studied in a laboratory vehicle mockup. Participants (68 men and women) selected their preferred driving postures in 18 combinations of seat height, fore-aft steering wheel position, and seat cushion angle. Two seats differing in stiffness and seat back contour were used in testing. Driving postures were recorded using a sonic digitizer to measure the 3D locations of body landmarks. All test variables had significant independent effects on driving posture. Drivers were found to adapt to changes in the vehicle geometry primarily by changes in limb posture, whereas torso posture remained relatively constant. Stature accounts for most of the anthropometrically related variability in driving posture, and gender differences appear to be explained by body size variation. Large intersubject differences in torso posture, which are fairly stable across different seat and package conditions, are not closely related to standard anthropometric measures. The findings can be used to predict the effects of changes in vehicle and seat design on driving postures for populations with a wide range of anthropometric characteristics.