Front seat to car seat: What you need to adjust in your car for safe driving
4 Minute Read
Sharing a vehicle can feel like stepping into someone else's shoes—only to discover they don't quite fit. Whether you're sharing a car with a spouse or teenage children, the experience can present unexpected challenges, particularly when the previous driver's settings don't match your own.
Fitting in the back seat is just as important, especially when it comes to adjusting baby seats and front-facing car seats as kids grow. Child seats not only reduce the risk of injury but ensure the safety message is understood from the earliest years.
While making adjustments might add a few minutes to your journey, every driver should ensure they and their family ‘fit their car’ by making interior adjustments before hitting the road.
Seatbelt
Wearing a seatbelt is a simple yet vital safety measure that can save lives. Make sure your seatbelt fits snugly, resting low over your hips and across your shoulder to keep you secure during a collision. The shoulder strap should always be worn over your shoulder—never under your arm or behind your back.
Your belt should fit snugly across your hips, and the shoulder belt should cross your collarbone, rest across your chest, and stay away from your neck. Never tuck the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm, as this reduces safety.
If your seatbelt feels uncomfortable or too close to your neck, try raising your seat for a better view and moving it to a more upright position. If your vehicle has a seatbelt slider, adjust it for a better fit.
As a safety check, ensure your seatbelt is snug enough that you can't fit a fist between yourself and the lap belt. Remember, never share a seatbelt with another person, which can lead to serious injuries.
Driver's seat
An improperly adjusted seat can cause discomfort and reduce control over the vehicle. Start by ensuring enough legroom—you should fully extend your legs without locking your knees and easily reach the pedals. Sit at least 25 cm (10 inches) from the steering wheel while comfortably using the pedals. Struggling to reach can lead to fatigue and slower reaction times. Be mindful of footwear. High heels, flip-flops, or thick soles can interfere with pedal use.
Raise the seat height for a clear view of the road. Ensure you're high enough to see over the steering wheel and hood. Your line of sight should extend at least four meters in front of you, with a minimum distance of 7 to 8 cm (3 inches) above the top of the steering wheel for a safe view.
Additionally, adjust the backrest to support your lower back, which maintains good posture and enhances comfort during drives.
Headrest
A well-adjusted headrest can protect you from whiplash and other injuries, especially in rear-end collisions. To get the best protection, make sure the back of your head lines up with the centre of the headrest.
For a good fit, your ear should hit the midpoint of the headrest, and there should be no more than six centimetres (about 2.5 inches) between the headrest and your head—it's fine if it's touching.
Check if your headrest is adjustable. Some cars have it fixed into the seat, while others let you make adjustments.
Steering wheel
Properly positioning your steering wheel is essential for safety, as it significantly influences the effectiveness of your airbag. The airbag is designed to deploy from the centre of the steering wheel and should be aimed at your chest rather than your head or face. This alignment is vital because, in the event of a collision, the airbag must deploy correctly to minimize the risk of injury.
When adjusting the steering wheel's tilt, ensure it directs the airbag toward your chest while keeping the speedometer and dashboard information clearly visible. Additionally, maintain a clear line of sight over the steering wheel. Your line of sight should be at least 7 cm above the top of the steering wheel to ensure a good view of the road ahead.
If you're uncertain about making these adjustments, consult your vehicle's owner's manual for a diagram and detailed instructions on the mechanism, location, and operation.
Mirrors
Adjusted mirrors are key to staying safe on the road, helping reduce blind spots and improving visibility. Start with your rearview mirror, changing it to see the centre of the rear window. For side mirrors, position them to show just the edges of your vehicle, widening your overall view.
To fine-tune, lean against the driver's side window and adjust the left mirror until you barely see the car's edge. For the right mirror, lean toward the centre console and do the same.
Taking a few minutes to adjust your mirrors properly can significantly reduce blind spots, which often hide pedestrians, cyclists, or vehicles.
Child and baby seats
Having the proper car seat that is installed correctly is key to keeping your child safe in the car. Using car seats significantly reduces your child’s risk of injury in the event of an accident, giving parents peace of mind about their precious cargo in the back seat.
Always be sure to read your vehicle owner’s manual and the user manual for the car seat for information on installing child car seats and anchors. Remember, every province and territory has its own laws and regulations regarding child car seats. You can read more here from Transport Canada.
For children in rear-facing car seats, ensure the harness straps are set at or just below the shoulders. Most car seats require two and a half centimetres of clearance above your child's head when rear-facing.
If your child meets the requirements for a front-facing car seat, the harness should also be at or above their shoulders. The tops of your front-facing child’s ears should always be below the top of their car seat.
Always check your province’s regulations and laws when adjusting car seats or changing orientation. Additionally, experts recommend keeping children in the child car seat until they reach the maximum weight and height limits, following the recommendations set by the car seat manufacturer.
Pro tip: These adjustments are not just a one-time task—regularly check and recalibrate as needed. Proper seating and positioning in your vehicle are fundamental to both comfort and safety on the road, for more information, here.
