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I don’t think my head ever touches my headrest when I’m driving. Rarely, I’ll lean back while sitting still, but that’s the only time I’m ever even aware of it.
This is correct. The headrest is meant for you to bang your head on in frustration while stuck in traffic
Often my hair is in a ponytail and it does make it impossible to drive comfortably. Like I have to leave my hair down and windows up to drive comfortably.
You could try wearing it low at the base of your neck if your hair is long enough. That might help some.
Hmm… Maybe we need a split headrest. Kids having something fun to pull on is another consideration.
Changing hair styles specifically for the car reminds me of some emergency responders who were talking about the horrific crash scenes where people wearing plastic hair claw clips that broke apart and become shrapnel or the clip simply lodging in the skull through blunt force contact (usually) with the headrest.
Ask Will Toledo.
I hate this so much
They shouldn’t be uncomfortable. Make sure you’ve set them correctly.
Car head rests, couches, waiting room chairs. This world was not built for tall people
Or short people. Only the average thrive.
Short people have the ability to curl into any little space though.
Car driver problems lmao. Just ride a dragon to work instead.
No way, I’m still picking scales out of my crack from the last time I gave that a shot
Life Pro Tip:
Take them off and turn them around, so they point backwards.
Thats what i‘ve done.
I feel like that’s probably not safe?
safety second, comfort first
It isn’t safe, but its better than taking it off entirely.
Anyone who’s above average height or buys one of the mega cursed headrests that sticks out 4" is not keeping that thing in its factory state. If nothing else you’ll injure your neck from the constant contortion.
Just take them off at that point, if your neck is gunna break anyway might as well go for the gold.
Same thing on planes.
“They need something to rest their head on!” --> adds something that nobody asked for and nobody needs --> "I’m helping you :) "
Exactly! They are the absolute worst on long flights. I can manage the limited leg room. But why the fuck does my head need to be pushed 2 inches ahead of my back and shoulders? And why can’t those flaps on the side of the head rest be more substantial so you can rest your head to either side at least? My strategy has been to lift the headrest as high as it will go, and usually I am short enough for it to clear my head so I can have some semblance of comfort.
holy shit you can lift them
I hate those long distance busses. If you sit up straight, the headrest is in your back. If you slouch down to get your head at the headrest so you can get some rest, the question becomes where to put your legs without pain and discomfort.
Its even worse when you’re taller than the designer expected and sitting up straight leaning back just means tilting my head backwards over the headrest.
Everyone should take this moment to consider correct posture.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to change the angle of my rear-view mirror to remind myself to sit straight.
In essence, try to force the lowest part of your neck to touch the heighest point on the headrest.
Then notice how you cannot see out of your rear view mirror. Adjust it from this position, and get used to it.
It’s gonna be weird for a while, but I assure you, this is what is best for your spine. I’ll take your gratitude in advance, for when you’re 80 and not folded over.
Lowest part of neck to higheat part of the headrest? Sounds like the before times when peoples necks snapped in acidents because nothing stopped their head shooting backward
Yeah, the headrests in cars are angled forward because it’s the safest in the event of a crash. Unfortunately, that means that the headrests are generally uncomfortable. The back of the head should be resting on the headrest; the neck should NOT be resting on the headrest unless you want to risk permanent injury or death.
If you have an accident, whiplash is partially countered by a seatbelt, but if you do have an accident, the severity of your neck damage will be dependant on your resting posture.
With a correct posture, there is less deviation in how your spine bends.
In any case, headrests are adjustable, make sure it’s set correctly. Unless your posture is perfect, changing your ergonomics will be uncomfortable.
Whiplash is from your head moving more than your neck can compensate for. The headrests are designed to prevent excessive backwards movement of your head to help your neck not get completely over-extended. Heads are actually quite heavy and there are a lot of very important things inside the neck that you don’t want getting fucked up be getting jerked around too much. The muscles in your neck can only do so much in a high-velocity situation like a crash.
Sure. What I’m inferring is the head moves more without a tight seatbelt, due to the additional inertia of your body, and its angle.
It might be easier to imagine it with an example. If you’ve ever taken a class in something like Judo, the first thing they’ll teach you is how to fall. It is incredibly important to maintain good posture as you fall, as hitting the mat with your head tilted too high is something that can turn you paraplegic in a second.
Same goes for a car. If your posture is fucked up, and your head hits the headrest wrong, it could lead to a broken neck.
As you train better posture, both your spine and the muscles around it find a new relaxed state. Essentially eliminating the risk of your head folding under the headrest.
I’ve played Judo, and I’m a licensed EMT, and I’ve worked in ERs, and I’m a third year medical student. I am quite confident in telling you that you are incorrect. Modern safety standards make it so that the seatbelt locks in a crash and limits your longitudinal inertia. Also, many dummies (and actual humans I have cared for) have “hit their head wrong” on the headrest due to their height, posture, or position, and they don’t break their necks. Did their scalenes, paraspinal muscles, and sternocleidomastoids hurt like hell? Absolutely. But they didn’t have broken necks.
Your body can compensate for a lot, but it was the introduction of headrests in cars that has been one of the biggest contributors to the drastic reduction in fatalities. The point of the headrest is the same as the seatbelt: to limit the range of motion your body goes through in a crash. Seatbelt signs and headrest concussions are real things that can cause some pretty significant problems, but those problems are easier to fix when the patient isn’t dead or quadriplegic.
Modern safety standards make it so that the seatbelt locks in a crash and limits your longitudinal inertia.
That’s what I was trying to say.
I’ve now realised that I’ve explained myself poor. To reiterate;
Seatbelts reduce whiplash, so does correct posture. Poor posture inherently leads to a loosed seatbelt because it extends the range between you and your seat.
A lot of people consider a crash which lurches you forward, but if you get rear ended, the difference which matters will be your posture. If your head and neck are cushioned, you’re going to be much better off.
Fair point about the broken spines. It’s not hard to imagine how much worse things could be without correctly fitted headrests and seatbelts.
Best advice I ever received posture wise was to pretend my nipples were Lazer guns and try to shoot people in the face. I like to say pewpew in my head
Ass down cock up tits out shoulders back
My nips are so pointy they practically shoot people in the face anyway.
Mine forces bad posture. Sitting with an erect spine means my head is tilted steeply forward.
I have to lean the seat back until I’m not resting my back against the seat so there’s less pressure in my neck. That means I’m not able to rest my upper back at all.
What i wouldn’t give for 1cm of adjustment.
It’s not cheap but you can replace your seat.
Lol no. Im just going to move so i can drive less.
Now I’m curious what you’re driving.
'08 impreza but it was the same with the rav4. It’s consistent with most cars unless they’re very old or way too fancy for my wallet/tastes.
I’m confused, is this a problem with your seat, or your height?
178cm is pretty average is it not? Though the seats need to accommodate women as well. So your average is closer to 170. Still, the seat is comfortable for my back, the had rest just push my head forward uncomfortably far resulting in neck soreness even with good posture. Maybe i have a long head? Idk, guess im a xenomorph.
Turning it around is and feels dangerous, but extremely comfortable. Wish i could tilt the head rest just a bit. Maybe I’ll just permanently bend it. Feels like if i got rear ended there would be a lot of pressure on the base of my neck.
Hey I started doing that! Kinda helps
Many people dont realize you can pull them forward and they then pop back. Yours may have been pulled partially forward.
My car is great, modern, amazing battery life, affordable… It has a headrest like in the OP she it is fixed. Like fused with the seat.
The best bet is I’m quite tall, so it pokes me in the shoulder blades.
It sucks but, other that that, it was an amazing deal when I bought it.
I don’t understand buying a car that’s physically uncomfortable to sit in.
It’s one thing if the seat is uncomfortable after a long drive; you’ll never get that from a test drive. But this would be bugging me from the minute I sat down, and I’d never buy a car with that issue - no matter how cheap it is, I have enough neck problems without them being exacerbated by my car.
Rule of thumb: if it sits between you and the ground for an extended period, don’t cheap out on it or settle if you have the choice.
Shoes, desk chair, mattress, pillow, car seat.
Life is too short to be uncomfortable.
I’m sure you’re aware, but that’s pretty dangerous. You will most likely have pretty bad a neck injury if you get into a wreck. It might be worth upgrading the seat to one that fits you better.
He’ll likely have a pretty bad neck injury without the accident. Keeping your body in an unnatural alignment like that for long periods of time is just begging for spinal injury.
Procrustes nodding
I always lower the back of the seat as much as possible and raise the front as much as possible so I’m planted in the seat. I can pick up both get without sliding out of the seat. Then I recline a little bit so I can rest my head comfortably. I have seen those more modern headrests that seem to stick way out from the seat. Not sure who those are for.
Because head rests are not meant to be pillows. They’re meant to cushion your head in a wreck and prevent injury from whiplash. I don’t know the specifics but that’s the gist. They’re for safety, not comfort.
Though the one in the image looks particularly wrong lol.
It’s not meant to be a pillow but it also shouldn’t force your head forward at an unnatural angle just because you have decent posture. Car headrests are designed for hunchbacks.
Does anyone else have the opposite problem? I feel like head rests are always too far back. If I place my head flat against them then more often than not I’m in an uncomfortable driving position because my neck is tilted back and up. I have to lean forward to drive most cars and it really annoys me.
Edit: I’m starting to think that a lot of you drive with the seat in an upright position. I sit at a slight recline because it’s easier on my back. Maybe that’s the problem. Try reclining more.
I had a driving safety instructor tell me that’s on purpose, and they are not comfort, but safety devices, and you should not drive while leaning against it.
The seat should support your full back, but the headrest should be a few centimetres behind your head so you can still look around, but it can lessen the effects of whiplash.
No. That’s crazy talk.
Older cars were like that, but more recently usually have headsets that can adjust forward and back
Define “older”. I’ve never owned a car newer than 10 years old, and plenty of 10-15 year old cars have this problem.
That still might fit, or maybe the feature is not as common as I thought. Certainly it varies by manufacturer , with some being more laggard than others.
My last car I remember not being adjustable was a 1996 Pontiac. It did adjust up-down and was high enough to improve safety rather than risk, but it was too far back and did not adjust front-back so my head would rattle around a lot if there were an accident. I’m pretty sure the Honda, Toyota, and Subaru I had since then all had adjustable headrests. Admittedly I do remember being bothered by something so close until I got used to it, but I knew it was a safety improvement and the front-back adjustment generally allowed me to get it out of the way while minimizing head travel if an accident
As a taller guy, this is something I especially notice: most of my driving life a headrest would simply break my neck if there were an accident. Having it be high enough to act as a safety feature rather than increase risk, was a huge advance, and the more recent adjustment front-back works much better
Yet somehow my Tesla fits best of all despite not adjusting at all: neither up-down nor front-back.
My old car (2007) had adjustable head rests, my current car (2019) does not. Fortunately its not too bad but I would height adjust it an inch or two higher if I could (just like when I get on an airplane). Weirdly, I was battling a really sore neck for a few months and a couple of road trips (1500 miles each way), actually was pretty comfortable. I didn’t have to lay down for a couple of hours in the middle of the day.
Perhaps you live in a place with different vehicle safety requirements. In the US, uncomfortable forward-tilted headrests are mandated by the federal government.
I’m in the US.
Yes you need to tilt your seat up. I’m a fatass and do it. So can you.
But sitting up straight is bad for posture. It compresses your back, which makes the pain worse.
What kind of crack is that? Nobody has ever been told to lean back in a chair. I have however been told to sit up straight.
We all have by our parents, and they were wrong. A 45° angle is ideal because your spine isn’t being compressesed by gravity as much. Just think about it. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out simple physics.
FWIW, I did have a source, but unfortunately I can’t find it at the moment.
