How do occupants sit in vehicles relative to occupant space?

How do occupants sit in vehicles relative to occupant space?

People sit differently in car seats, in part due to personal preferences, habit, body profile, car interior dimensions, seating angle, and other factors. All one has to do is simply look at other drivers on the road to realize that there is a vast amount of differences in the way people sit in vehicles--even in similar types of vehicle--or observe how people sit at home and work. Some prefer the seat to be vertical while others like to recline the seat. Others like to sit straight while others lean sideways. Some people constantly move around in their vehicle, seldom maintaining a stationary posture, while others look like they are made out of stone and rarely move about. Gender has been shown to be a significant factor in seating positioning. Cullen et al evaluated 2.935 cars in the U.K. and U.S. to see how adults sit in their vehicles. The 5^th percentile female sat 24 cm (9.45 in) closer in the U.K. study and 32 cm (12.6 in) closer in the U.S. study, when measuring the distance between the nasion and the steering wheel, than the 95^th percentile male occupant. Drivers sat closer to the dash than passengers, and non-driver passengers were more likely to be out-of-position. The physician needs to consider the environment of the occupant compartment when evaluating an injury.