From reckless driving to potholes and wild animals, safety is a cause for concern on South African roads. And whilst car safety features continue to improve exponentially with advancements in reinforced chassis, computerised warning systems, and side-impact beams, the position the driver takes inside the cabin is still of utmost importance, especially for women.
The first female crash test dummy was developed in 2012 by Swedish university, Chalmers University of Technology. Lead researcher, Anna Carlsson, who produced the first prototype, was motivated to design EvaRID due to the high instances of whiplash recorded in female crash victims.
“Today, modern cars detect the driver’s height and weight, and position the protection system to suit these individual dimensions,” says AutoTrader’s CEO, George Mienie.
“So it's no longer a case of male or female, but rather how heavy or how tall you are” he comments.
However, the South African auto market mostly consists of second-hand vehicles, what the industry terms ‘an ageing car park’, meaning many cars on our roads today pre-date 2012 and don’t use the latest technology found in modern cars.
“This makes it important for women to adjust their driving position, to make sure they drive positioned in the safest part of the cabin” comments Mienie.
According to Devon Scott, Jaguar Land Rover’s lead instructor, women often sit too close to the steering wheel, whereas men tend to sit too low. This is usually because women are on average shorter than men.
In light of Women’s Month, Scott gives some advice and precautions to make sure female drivers are positioned correctly in their cockpits and, are, therefore, safer:
“It might take some time getting used to a new seating position, but remember that your car is not your couch” comments Mienie.
“In order for the intelligently designed safety features to work effectively, women are advised to adjust their settings using these basic tips” he concludes.