Evaluating lower body driving posture regarding gas pedal control and emergency braking: A pilot study

Abstract

Lower body posture influences driving comfort and safety. The posture recommendations from the literature, however, are often based on preferred postures and can be inconsistent due to differences in the experimental setups. Furthermore, the ranges of preferred postures focusing on sitting comfort are often wide and, therefore, difficult to use for occupant packaging in the automotive industry. To cope with these issues, we developed a task-oriented approach to evaluate the lower body driving posture. We predefined 12 seating positions (4 knee angles × 3 seating heights) and measured the physical strain, discomfort perception, and task performance of gas pedal control and emergency braking. Results of the 11 participants showed that seating closer to the front with a 110° knee angle caused more foot dorsiflexion for gas pedal control and increased the right leg's shin muscle activity and discomfort; seating further back with a 145° knee angle decreased emergency braking performance. In conclusion, our new approach is feasible for objectively and effectively evaluating lower body driving posture. Relevance to industryThe approach of this study can provide a new perspective on the driving posture assessment. The findings can be utilized to optimize the occupant packaging process in the automotive industry.