A study on

vehicle
ergonomics

Prepared by – RAMIT DIHIDAR

Roll number - 001511701065
INTRODUCTION TO ERGONOMICS

Ergonomics is the process of designing or

arranging work places, products and systems so
that they fit the people who use them.
Ergonomics is a branch of science that aims to
learn about human abilities and limitations and
then apply this learning to improve people’s
interaction with products, systems and
environments.
Ergonomics aims to improve workplaces and
environments to minimise risk of injury or harm.
Ergonomics is the investigation about humans and
work. Especially when optimizing the physical
contact between humans and machines.

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How do ergonomics work?
Ergonomics is a relatively new branch of science which
celebrates its 50th anniversary in 1999, but relies on
research carried out in many other older, established
scientific areas, such as engineering, physiology and
psychology.
To achieve best practice design, Ergonomists use the
data and techniques of several disciplines:
 anthropometry: body sizes, shapes; populations
and variations
 biomechanics: muscles, levers, forces, strength
 environmental physics: noise, light, heat, cold,
radiation, vibration body systems: hearing, vision,
sensations
 applied psychology: skill, learning, errors,
differences
 social psychology: groups, communication,
learning, behaviours.

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 VEHICLE ERGONOMICS
Vehicle Ergonomics deals with the physical interaction of
motor-vehicle occupants with the vehicle interior during
normal operating conditions. It includes studies to
understand the effects of occupant body dimensions and
vehicle interior design factors on driver and passenger
posture, position, and perception of accommodation and
comfort. Results of these studies are used to develop and
upgrade industry practices and models for vehicle design,
and to establish criteria for determining levels of occupant
accommodation. The results have been used to design a new
seating manikin for improved measurement and
characterization of vehicle seats and interior package
geometry.

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THE TECHNIQUE OF ALTERING THE LENGTH,
ANGLE AND POSITIONS OF DIFFERENT
PARTS OF THE vehicle, (MAINLY THE Seat,
steering wheel AND controls) TO GET
THE BEST ERGONOMICAL DESIGN SUCH THAT
IT PROVIDES MOST COMFORT TO OUR BODY
AND ENABLE LONG DISTANCE PAINFREE
RIDING IS CALLED

vehicle ERGONOMICS or
driving ergonomics....

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WHY vehicle ERGONOMICS IS IMPORTANT?
The following are the reasons why vehicle (or driving)
ergonomics is of huge importance to those people who
rides either long distances or short distances:
 The design of the product takes on the form of
your body and leads to a better distribution of
opposing forces. Unpleasant pressure points and
related discomforts are avoided.
 Decrease risk of illness, injury and fatigue.
 Enhance the productivity of the worker (driver).
 To enable the driver reach different controls easily
without any physical strain.
 To enable the driver gets a clear view of the street
ahead and also so that he can easily see the
different meters on the board.
 To reduce the risk of accidents.

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Different problems
associated with driving:

 Lower back pain due to increased lumbar

load
 Carpal tunnel syndrome
 Sciatic nerve pain
 Shoulder impingement
 Head and neck pain
 Leg room – lack of space
 Body exposed to outside forces, jerks and
vibrations
 Herniated disc

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Causes of pain while driving:

 A static and constrained posture.

 A deviated or awkward posture (to do
some work on laptop or elsewhere while
sitting in the driver’s seat).
 Increased exposure to vibrations and
jerks.
 Strongly holding the Steering wheel.
 Lack of proper blood circulation.
 Increased pressure on disks and
ligaments.

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Correct sitting posture in a
car driver’s seat and leg
position
Sitting may be considered as a static posture but not without
any muscular contraction. Starting from the top the shoulder
and the neck muscles are involved. The whole of the back, lower
back, muscles, the abdominal muscles and the hip muscles are
involved.
The leg and the thigh muscles and the muscles of the foot are
involved in the pedal controls.
Muscles of the arm and forearm are involved in the directing
the steering.

In the first case we see that the driver is keeping his

spine in the natural position or in the ‘Double S’
position. This will help him to reduce the lumbar pain

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to a great extent and also reduces the risk of disc
rupture and enable a good blood circulation.
In the second case we see that the spine is not in its
natural shape and stress pints are developed in the
neck region and in the lumbar region. Also chances of
herniated disc are high in case of a long term exposure
to driving.

The legs should be in an obtuse angle something

between 160o to 165o. This will reduce the chances of
numbness in the thigh to the feet region of the leg. And
for the ankle to put pressure on the pedals accurately, it
is necessary to keep the angle between leg and ankle to
range from 90o to 120o .

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Death grip and carpal
tunnel syndrome
What is death grip?
DEATH GRIP is the case when driver holds the steering wheel
very strongly. There is no exact reason why a driver does so but
in most case the reason is excitement and fear.
Mostly when a driver rides at a very high speed then it is found
that he grips the steering more firmly than required.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME is a common condition that
causes pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and arm. The
condition occurs when one of the major nerves to the hand —
the median nerve — is squeezed or compressed as it travels
through the wrist.
When a driver is death gripping the steering then he may suffer
from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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Different parts of a car
driver ‘s seat and control

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Ergonomic Aspects in
automobile Design
 Occupant packaging
 Visual aspect
 Air Bag warnings
 Comfort, usability seat belts
 Collision avoidance system
 Traction control system
 Brake assist system
 Navigation system
 Vehicle interior, controls, pedals etc
 Reach to advanced recreational systems

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Parts of a car which can
be adjusted for better
comfort and control
i) Seat
ii) Back rest
iii) Steering wheel
iv) Arm rest
v) Head restrain

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Parts of a car which cannot
be adjusted but effects the
ergonomics of a car
I) Pedals: accelerator, brake,
clutch
II) Gear stick
III) Foot rest
IV) Other controls
V) Navigation display or g.p.s.
VI) Audio system

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Percentiles for designing
Normally a design engineer considers for the 5th
percentile male to the 95th percentile male.
In designing so a huge part of the population is
considered, so that all of them can fit in the design.
The motto of ergonomics is:
‘Let the small person reach, and
Let the large person fit’.
A design for the complete population, that is for
the 0th percentile female to the 100th percentile
male, is not made as it will cost the manufacturer a
lot more than the net profit.

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Ergonomic aspects

This is a part of the data that is collected for a

certain population by the Ford Motors Company to
design their cars.

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seat design
All the requirements of seat design must be incorporated
to ensure the comfort of driver and passengers.
Special consideration should be taken for those, who
have, for example, long legs and a short trunk, or vice
versa, and do not conform to the averaged percentile
norms.
The best compromise is obtained when the seated
posture minimizes the strain on the human organism
imposed by external loads as well as equilibrium
between the ligaments and the sections of muscle which
act in the opposite sense to them. So a degree of freedom
of movement must be provided, holding the body in
position.

The length of driver’s seat should be ranging from

510mm to 570mm.
The breadth of the driver’s seat is best when it is
520mm.

These dimensions
enable a small person to reach and a large person to fit.

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Backrest design
Sitting flattens lumbar curve changes
biomechanics of spine
 Increased forces on discs
 Increased length of ligaments
 Increased muscle tension

What should we do:

 Ensure the height of the back rest reaches the
shoulders and does not obstruct ‘rearward
vision’.
 Ensure the back rest width is enough to
support the shoulder
 Ensure that you have sufficient room between
the roof and the top of your head.

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 Seat pan depth

Check your seat pan/cushion length.

 When seated, scoot your tail bone as far
back to the seat back as possible.
 Should be able to place 2-3 fingers
between back of knee and front of seat.
 If cannot perform, add a pillow or back
cushion to car seat to move you forward

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 Seat pan tilt
Adjust your seat pan tilt.
 When seated, scoot your tail bone as far back
to the seat back as possible.
 Tilt the seat pan tilt until your thighs are
supported along the full length of the cushion
without there being pressure at the back of
your knees.
 The seat of your car should allow for your
knees to be slightly higher than your hips.
This helps in:
 Opens up your hip flexors.
 Increases circulation to the back.
 Decreases pressure on lower back.

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 Back rest tilt
Adjust the backrest so it provides continuous support
along the length of the back and is in contact up to
shoulder height.
Adjust your back tilt.
 The least amount of pressure on the back occurs
when your seat back is 100-110 degrees so that you
are slightly reclined.
 The back support should fully support your back.
 If you are leaning too far back, you may end up
bending your head and neck forward, which may
cause muscle fatigue, neck or shoulder pain,
tingling in the fingers, etc.
 If you cannot recline your seat, take frequent breaks
from your upright posture by shifting your weight
side to side and using small upper body motions to
relax the back

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 Lumbar support
Lumbar support is an important tool to maintain the
backrest in its position.
It helps the spine in maintaining the ‘Double S’
position.
Adjust your lumbar support up-and-down and in-and-
out until you feel an even pressure along your back from
the hips to shoulder height.

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Vibration : its affect and
possible cure
Vibration is transmitted through the back & legs
when sitting.
Every object has a ‘resonant frequency’ (RF) 3-5
Hz – vibration from the road is often in the body’s
RF range; this increases the risk of injury.

Long-Term exposure:
 Disc displacement
 Degenerative spinal changes
 Lumbar scoliosis
 Intervertebral disc disease
 Herniated discs
 Disorders of gastrointestinal system

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Reducing Effects of Vibration :
 Reduce transmission
 Improve vehicle suspension
 Maintain equipment properly
 Proper engineering of seating
 Use of materials that generate LESS vibration
 Decrease amount Reduce speed of travel
 Increase rest/recovery time between exposure
 Alternate tasks to minimize vibration exposure
 Modify the seat and control positions Back rest
support
 Reduce forward/sideways leaning of trunk
 Eliminate awkward postures Difficulty seeing
displays or reaching
 Reduce or isolate from the vibration source
Seated – spring or cushion (as an isolator)

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 Head restrain
Avoid forcing awkward postures.
Middle of headrest should be level with middle of
ear.
While sitting, raise the head rest until the top of it
is level with top of your head.
Adjust the angle of the head rest until it is almost
touching the back of your head when you are in
your sitting posture.

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 Ideal ergonomic design for
the driver’s seat

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 Arm rest

If there is a provision for an adjustable arm rest, then

the driver will have a good blood a circulation in his/her
arm and can comfortably drive for a long term.
The arm rest height should be such that the forearm
should get a complete support and also at the same time
should be able to access the gear stick.

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 Steering wheel
Features of a Steering Wheel:
 Adjustable steering wheel – in/out, up/down and
tilt.
 Power steering
How to adjust the steering wheel:
 Centrally positioned and not ‘off-set’ to prevent
rotation of the spine.
 Ensure steering wheel does not obstruct the display
panel.
 The centre of the steering wheel should be about 10
- 12 in from the driver's breast bone.
 Your arms should be in a comfortable position (not
too high or too low).
 Check for clearance with thighs and knees when
using pedals.

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 Pedals
There are three pedal controls provided and they are the
Clutch, the Brake and the Accelerator, starting from left
to right.
Pedals should be:
 Centrally positioned
 Sufficiently large
 Sufficiently apart so that accelerator and brake are
not simultaneously applied.
 Reached Comfortably

The Accelerator and the Brake are of different shape.

ACCELERATOR

CLUTCH

BRAKE

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Working from your vehicle
Working from a vehicle can entail use of a laptop,
general paperwork, mobile use or manual handling. This
could involve:
 Static and awkward postures
 Twisting and leaning to one side
 Leaning forward
 Slouching

Here A and B are comparatively bad postures as it

produce torsion on the spine.
C and D are highly preferred over A and B.

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Steps to a comfortable
drive (from manufacturers
point)
 Gear Stick should be easy to reach
 Gear Stick should be movable with less force
 Materials transferring vibration should be
avoided.
 Cushioning of the seats and backrest should be
provided.
 Hand break should be close to the driver’s
seat.
 Other controls and aids for recreation and
navigation should be within the forward reach
the driver.
 Sufficient platform for footrest rest should be
provided.
 Meters should be placed where it can be easily
seen.

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Steps to a comfortable
drive (from driver’s point)
 Learn how to get in and out of vehicle
 Use a good sitting posture
 Avoid slouching
 If possible, change positions while driving
 Check your hand position on the steering
wheel
 Avoid lifting immediately after driving – give
yourself on or two minutes to stretch and rest
before lifting
 Try to take regular rest/stretch breaks. Only 5
minutes will suffice

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 CONCLUSION
In the report we are able to point out :
 Different parts of our body involved while
driving.
 Different problems associated with prolonged
driving.
 All major adjustments which can be made in a
car or any vehicle to enhance more comfort
and safety.
 Tips for driver to enjoy a long pain free ride.

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Bibliography
 www.drivingergonomics.com
 www.aohnp.co.uk/media/Vehicleergonomicsb
estpracticeguide$28Highwaysagency$29.pdf
 http://safety.dept.shef.ac.uk/guidance/DRIVI
NG%20POSTURE.pdf
 https://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-
hood/trends-innovations/car-ergonomics.htm
 http://www.umtri.umich.edu/our-
focus/vehicle-ergonomics
 https://www.recovre.com.au/wp-
content/uploads/2014/08/Vehicle-
Ergonomics-Fact-Sheet.pdf
 http://drivingergonomics.lboro.ac.uk/downlo
ads/vehicle%20ergonomics%20and%20best%
20practice%20guide.pdf
 https://www.quora.com/What-is-ergonomics-
in-automobile-design

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