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submitted 2 weeks ago by The Picard Maneuver@lemmy.world

Who is this for?
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That's to correct your posture, soon you'll have a mighty hump!

Agree.

Also people seem to think the head rests are there for you to constantly be resting your head on but they are head *restraints.*. They're there so you don't break your neck if you get in an accident - not to be comfy on a long drive.

I agree that the main reason for them is to prevent breaking your neck in an accident. But I have to ask... Why not make something that allows for both? Surely we can make something that helps ease our neck and shoulder muscles for long drives and prevent us from snapping our necks in a car accident from in front or back of us. No?

Those exist in fancier cars. Recently rented a jaguar f-type for a weekend getaway road trip and we noticed after an hour or 2 that the headrests actually were functional and comfy. Why the hell that shape isnt used in a normal seat i have no idea.

I bought little neck cushions for my Passat. I like sitting back and being comfy. I don't understand how people can lean forward for long trips and some have their head to the steering wheel.

You answered it yourself. It's to sell more high dollar cars.

But there are brands of car that dont even make that expensive vehicles at all, and they still have shitty headrests.

Idk I think because of how much force needs to be contained by the restraint it is rigid for a reason. My guess is there is an engineering reason based on physics.

Also you don't want people to be falling asleep while driving (anymore than already happens) so maybe that's a factor too? Like it's not meant to be a pillow lol

This is the correct answer. It's a safety device, not for resting your head. When the foam is not compressed it is not good neck alignment, but in an accident, your head slams into the foam and crushes it, that's when your neck is in good alignment, preventing damage.

Never knew this before. Thank you!

then why do some of them go so far forward? I'd love to rest my upper back against the seat every now and then, but that requires me to move my head forward like in the OP.

Just because big automobile is out to get you.

I knew it! They want me to have neck pain so I can't walk, so I'll drive more.

You shouldn’t be pushing against it, but you shouldn’t be that far away from it either to prevent whip lash.

Any normal headrest can be angled almost vertically so it’s not like OPs picture. I wonder if op just doesn’t realize you can tilt them further forward and reset them.

OP is making a joke, I'm sure they're aware headrests move and none actually look like the post lol.

They are not joking, and some cars cannot adjust the angle or lateral position of the headrest without replacement. There are cars (like 2009 Lincoln MKZs, cough) that have headrests and seats that look and feel exactly like the image.

I owned one for about 3 years, and I still blame it for starting my weird neck/shoulder problems years later.

True some can't adjust the angle, but obviously none of them protrude the ridiculous amount shown in the post.

I'm not sure how this isn't a joke, clearly it's a riff on how headrests can be weirdly uncomfortable at times. Anyways, if you're chilling with your head against that the whole time you're driving you're not doing it right.

The image exists for illustration and emphasis. It's an exaggeration, it doesn't make the issue not real. Perhaps your particular morphology (occipital prominence) shields you from the discomfort some of us experience, but I can assure you it is a problem, to the extent that I sometimes *remove* the headrest entirely because it is so absurdly tilted (in some cars).

It's there for me to use. How I use it is up to me.

Ackshually...it's there for complying with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations and protecting auto manufacturers from legal liability. If you use the safety device incorrectly and suffer injury as a result, that's entirely on you. Everyone is free win their Darwin award!

He said he is free to use it how he wants and you said he's free to use it how he wants. Weird disparity in votes for that one.

Completely true. It's also true your choice can be wrong.

I am very short, and sit up rather straight. My head hits what should be the most comfortable parts of every kind of seating in the most uncomfortable way. This is an accurate representation of the sensation, when curved neck portion ends up at top of your skull, and doubly so, if it's a bucket seat. Special cushions help, in certain vehicles, which can also alleviate the seatbelt going practically across your throat. Our old Outback is tolerable, which is lovely.

We have a couple IKEA Poang chairs at home, and I need to make pillow booster-seats for the damned things, or it's just this image, lol

I just bought a 2024 Prius and as a short person I can attest that it's the best short-people car I've ever had. While it does suffer from most of the issues you would assume from not testing with shorter dummies, those issues don't really get in the way like they do in other cars. The seat and headrest feel great, the seatbelt is adjustable on the side so it won't cut into your neck, and it's very easy to get in and out of. 10/10 car for us short people.

I'm tall and long in the torso. The last serious car accident I was in my head bashed against the ceiling in a frightening way. Or, it would have been frightening if I had any memory of it. I had a brush burn on my forehead which could only have happened if my head was pushed way back from hitting the ceiling. Before you ask, I always wear a seatbelt.

Anyway, that's not why I'm replying. I'm generally ok with car headrests, although I usually have to lean the seat back pretty far to just fit in.

I bought a new office chair. I specifically chose one without a headrest, but it showed up with one anyway. At it's highest adjustment it sits right between my shoulders.

The world seems designed to fit such a narrow range of people.

Fact is, if you aren't in the central bell curve, then you aren't a profitable sector. Everything is tailored to the average these days in order to have the largest potential pool of customers from which to extract profit. If only one out of every ten people is tall enough to have problems with "regular sized" objects then that means only one out of every ten people are potential customers for your Big&Tall products. 99% of companies will elect to target the other 9/10 instead, even in a saturated market.

Yes those Poang chairs hurt my neck so bad, we had to get rid of it as it caused headaches whenever I sat in it. What about Airplane seats they also seem to push your neck forward in an in unergonomic way.

We have the Poangs as well, and I can't recline in them. The only comfortable position is to rip the cushion out and put it on the floor, and sit on the floor. >.<

I have the seatbelt cutting my neck problem too - and I'm not exactly short. :/

Crash test ratings probably.

So your neck doesn't whip back and keeps your spine in line.

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

[deleted] 2 weeks ago

And doing so releases calming spores that manipulate your brain into thinking that driving is a good idea and that public transport is treason.

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.

Well it fits my posture perfectly 🤷‍♂️

My wife's RAV4 is like this. Long drives are torture after a few hours. My neck, shoulders, and back end up in knots.

I took my head rest out on my rav.

I might have died when my head snapped off, but at least my back and neck stopped killing me for the five years I drove it.

Same I have been removing the headrest in my wife's car whenever I'm the one driving. It's the whole posture, but the ponytail makes it worse. If I really -honestly- try and fit into the seat shape, my head is tilted so low I'm looking down at my feet. It's ridiculous

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'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.

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.

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/loose 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.

Also office chairs with headrests, for whatever reason.

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.

This bothers me so much. I know the idea is that if I get rear-ended it would help prevent whiplash. But it feels so uncomfortable that I tilt the seat back. This defeats the point of the headrest and I am sure other saftey features. But if I didn't I would be constantly annoyed and distracted. That would increase my odds of getting into a forward facing accident.

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

[deleted] 2 weeks ago

Pressing brake:

*Make it slow.*

I used to think my entire body should contour along the seat, and I sat too upright, so this was a problem for me as well. Then I realized you’re not actually supposed to rest your head all the time and you can recline the seat to the point where the headrest doesn’t angle forward too much. Just scoot forward a bit if you can’t reach the wheel. Now I drive more relaxed. Also, some cars’ headrests can actually be adjusted forward and back.

If I reclined the seat I wouldn't be able to see out!
I add a 2 inch cushion just to prevent the seatbelt from sliding up and crushing my windpipe. And I have to drive with my fingertips and toes to prevent the airbag from killing me.

Why is everything designed for a 6 foot man when more than half of drivers who spend a lot of time on the road are women? Why has there not even been a proper female crash dummy? I drive a minivan because it's adapted to my husband's wheelchair. But even regular cars have similar misfits.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

No. That's crazy talk.

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.

To protect you from whiplash. Just so you know, the seats are adjustable...

The seats are, the headrest isn't in some cases.

I would suggest you don't buy a car that has non-adjustable seats that don't fit your body.

I can't afford cars that cost that much, but the principle is dound

Or maybe your expectations are off. Volvos have always been very safe cars. In my 2008 and 2015 Volvos the head rests are "uncomfortable" and immobile. But I, and others who are shorter, can adjust the seat so that it saves my neck in case of an crash. They're not there to be comfortable, they're there to save you.

Edit: fixed "your my express expectations"

Life Pro Tip:

Take them off and turn them around, so they point backwards.

Thats what i‘ve done.

Just take them off at that point, if your neck is gunna break anyway might as well go for the gold.

I feel like that's probably not safe?

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.

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

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.

Hey I started doing that! Kinda helps

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.

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.

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.

It's not cheap but you can replace your seat.

Lol no. Im just going to move so i can drive less.

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.

I am in this picture.

(really need to work on my posture.)

Every is talking about how the headrest it's made this way for crash safety when it's blatantly untrue.

The headrest is designed to protect the heads and neck of the average man, not woman. Decades of crash test dummies have all been modeled on the average height and weight of the male body. This is why women are 47% likelier to sustain a serious injury in a crash.

Think of the where the headrest is in the optimal position to protect the driver, and then move that a few inches lower. Adjustable headrest often doesn't even go low enough to accommodate for many women. There is an actual cutoff height where you are just screwed and expected to die more. Not to mention the user error of forgetting to adjust the headrest from the factory setting of accommodating to the average male height.

This is why so many people are curled up like a shrimp. They are either: short, a woman, or the statistically deadliest of all, both.

You're talking about the height of the headrest, not how far forward they go for some reason

Also they contradict themselves

The thesis is that it’s not for safety reasons then their proof is that safety tests are flawed

This works against the thesis as the conclusion is that it is still done for safety but may not be safe

Well there is that while I have also never seen a headrest that goes high enough for me.

Oh it's 'blatantly' true that the headrest are for safety. The problem is engineers can't design a perfect one size fits all. So things are designed around averages. It's the best they can do.

If you fall outside of those averages at either end well, there is going to be more risk. As a male who is above average height, automotive headrests add more risk for me just as they do for a smaller woman.

But they *can* make a headrests that do that. My car's headrests can tilt forward or back depending on your preference. And it was made in the 2010's, so it's not like this is a super old, or new, development.
Making them adjustable makes the most sense as it allows people to adjust it to what they need, rather than just designing for the average person. The seats themselves are adjustable; you can slide them forward and back, up and down, some even tilt them forward or back. The headrests should be no different.

Then design one that passes all the required testing and market it. Just because it seems easy doesn't mean that it IS easy. And your old car was quite possibly built under different guidelines. Meaning that they no longer meet safety standards.

tilting doesn't make them safer

A head rest is designed to stop you getting whiplash. How does someone being shorter, make it more dangerous?

While I definitely think there's truth in what you say, I don't think it's the real reason. The posture car seats try to put you in is just not good sometimes. If the seat itself lets you sit up straight, the headrest juts out, or the headrest is okay but the seat is curved into a bowl. It's comfy for lazy sitting, which is what most people will want to settle into, but if you try to be mindful of your posture, you're doing it without real support from your seat.

They really aren't primarily head rests, so comfort isn't the priority and my car's manual doesnt call them that.They're first and foremost head support for accidents.

They shouldn't be uncomfortable. Make sure you've set them correctly.

Because you haven't adjusted it right?

I can move my headrest up and down, that's it.

To be fair, that is not an exhaustive list of cars on the road today. My husbands passenger seat of his 2023 car is the bane of my existence. No way to adjust the headrest aside from up and down and unless I tilt the seat way back, it feels like OP's drawing.

Take them all the way out, and flirt it around.

Or see if it moves

Okay so I think some people might need a course on why headrests are designed this ungodly way...

during a rear-end collision or sudden braking as the vehicle makes a sharp forward-backward movement. Without the angled headrests, passengers may suffer spine misalignment of spine-related injuries due to sudden movements. The headrests also keep the spine in position with its “forward-looking” design. This stops the pain and other symptoms associated with a misaligned spine.

So.....I should turn my headrest back around, huh?

How does that help when the top of the headrest jabs into your neck? Doesn't that just make a nice fulcrum to snap your neck on?

Your headrest is probably to low... If you lean back into it your chin should go down towards your chest... This is what protects your neck along with the support from the headrest...

These new head rests are not adjustable. That's the whole point of the post.

They have to be height adjustable based on who is sitting in the seat or they do more harm then good

Just tilt the seat back a bit more?

It’s designed to be slightly uncomfortable to keep people from falling asleep at the wheel.

That’s what I believe it to be. I adjusted it to lean back and it was too comfortable to drive.

Now explain the passenger seat

Cheaper to design one seat and use it for both spots

It's a seat for a person to sit next to the driver, but that's not important right now.

I will never not upvote Airplane references.

My mom used to have a car like this. I would remove the head rest every time I had to ride in it.

They have a function.. to prevent whiplash. They need to be at the proper height though.. and definately not too low.

Yeah, and your head should rest up on it, hence the name and all that. It is there for that rear-ended collision. If you are leaned way forward, now it's just something for you to hit, but if you are *headresting*, it'll absorb some of the impact and prevent (or reduce) that cervical spine injury. Anytime I'm at a stop, especially in traffic, I try to remind myself to put my head back, just in case. It'll be the time I forget that I get rear-ended though.

That is extremely dangerous and stupid.