Driver distance from the steering wheel: perception and objective measurement.

Abstract

This study assessed the accuracy of driver perceptions of the distance between the driver's nose and the steering wheel of the vehicle as a factor in considering driver disconnection of an airbag contained in the steering wheel for preventing injury to the driver in an accident. A cross-sectional survey of 1000 drivers was done to obtain perceived and objective measurements of the distance between the driver's nose and the steering wheel of the vehicle. Of 234 drivers who believed that they sat within 12 inches of the steering wheel, only 8 (3%) actually did so, whereas of 658 drivers who did not believe that they sat within 12 inches of the wheel, 14 (2%) did so. Shorter drivers were more likely than taller ones to both underestimate and overestimate their seating distance. Considerable misperception of drivers' distance from the wheel indicates that drivers should objectively measure this distance.