Dori A Schmetterling
2005-08-28 12:02:05 UTC
Confirmation of why most Mercs -- in the UK at least -- have an auto
gearbox:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22750-1751891,00.html
Their astute drivers know that automatic is better for you.
DAS
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---
Danger, incorrect use of your car can damage your health
A rising tide of afflictions is besetting motorists as they
spend more time behind the wheel, reports Emma Smith of The Sunday Times
The neck is one of the areas that feels the strain
(Paul Vicente)
Travelling in half a ton of metal at 50mph is an inherently
risky business. But even the safest drivers, who obey the speed limit, pay
undivided attention to the road ahead and have never had an accident, still
run the risk of doing long-term damage to their health.
While car makers go to extreme efforts to make their vehicles as
comfortable as possible, they are just engaging in damage limitation when it
comes to the human body.
Sitting - or slouching - in a car seat while operating the
pedals with both feet and the steering wheel and gearstick with both hands
(not to mention the frequent swivelling of the neck and shoulders) puts a
multitude of stresses and strains on the body.
Taken in small doses the body accommodates such minor exertions,
but when these stresses occur regularly and are sustained over a period of
time, the combined effects can - as Jeremy Clarkson recently discovered (see
below) - result in serious physical problems.
Clarkson is not alone. According to the Department of Health, at
least half of high-mileage business drivers suffer from pains in their lower
back, and back pain caused by driving for long periods to get to the office
is increasingly a reason given for people taking days off work.
"Driving long distances is one of the worst things you can do to
your body," says Brian McIlwraith, an osteopath who specialises in car
ergonomics. "There's a tendency for you to be forced into a slumped
position, so your back is bent, putting pressure on the hips, lower back and
intervertebral discs.
"If the seat inclines back too far it can also mean that you
have to stretch your head slightly forwards in reaching the steering wheel,
which puts increased pressure on your neck and shoulders. The problems are
compounded when you swing your legs out of the car and have to pull yourself
out, putting more pressure on the lumbar spine."
Long-term pressure on the lower back can lead to slipped or
prolapsed discs, injuries that British drivers are becoming increasingly
susceptible to. We spend more time behind the wheel than ever before,
driving to work, driving to school - and driving to the gym where we pay to
rediscover the use of our legs.
The average driver in this country spends about 4œ hours behind
the wheel every week - more than ever before - yet many commuters spend
almost as long on the road every day.
In total, car travel now accounts for four-fifths of the
distance travelled per person per year.
Overall the distance travelled by car has increased by more than
11% since 1990 and UK motorists now travel an average of about 12,000 miles
per year.
So what can motorists do to alleviate associated health
problems? Choosing a vehicle that is suited to your build, height and age is
the first step. Low-slung sports cars for portly middle-aged businessmen are
as potentially bad as mammoth 4x4s for petite lady drivers who strain to see
over the wheel.
Where possible, drivers should invest only in cars with fully
adjustable seats and steering wheels, as well as lumbar support, so that the
driving position can be adjusted for maximum comfort.
Automatics are preferable to manuals because every time the foot
depresses the clutch, pressure is exerted on the lower back. Power steering
also eases strain on the shoulders.
It is important that the car allows you to find the right
driving position. If you put your palms together with wrists touching the
middle of the chest your fingers should point directly to the centre of the
steering wheel - some cars have slightly offset steering wheels that can
cause unnecessary strain. There should also be enough headroom - typically
the height of a clenched fist above your head - to remove any enforced
slouching.
But there are also remedies to help improve your current car.
Nicola Hunter, a physiotherapist and clinical director of Rehabworks, a
company that treats people with long-term
back and neck problems, says: "The headrest should come up to
the top of your ears to prevent your head being thrown back in an accident
and to provide support while driving, and you should be able to reach the
pedals without stretching.
"Sitting bolt upright puts weight on the lower back, so it's
better if the backrest inclines backwards slightly; a gradient of about
10%."
If your car does not offer lumbar support,
designed to curve into the driver's lower back, Hunter recommends buying a
lumbar roll from back-care centres or car accessory shops. "A rolled-up
sweatshirt would also help," she says.
However, it is not just bones and muscles that
feel the strain behind the wheel. A report by the Environmental Transport
Association found car occupants are exposed to higher levels of air
pollutants than pedestrians because they accumulate in the car during
driving.
The increasingly long journeys made also
increase the risks of tiredness behind the wheel. According to the
Department for Transport, 350 people are killed each year after a driver has
fallen asleep at the wheel. Male drivers aged 30 and under are the most
likely to doze off.
Recent research published in America also
suggests that people who suffer from heart problems and who are caught in
traffic are three times more likely to have a heart attack within the hour
than those who are not stuck in a jams. Overall heart attacks are 2.6 times
more common for people stuck in cars.
Then there is the threat of road rage which,
as last week's Driving revealed, 95% of UK drivers claim to have been a
victim of in some form during the past 12 months.
With medical authorities warning about the
effect of tension increasing blood pressure and therefore the threat of
heart attacks and strokes - probably not helped by the fatty food dished up
in motorway service stations - perhaps driving should carry a government
health warning.
gearbox:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22750-1751891,00.html
Their astute drivers know that automatic is better for you.
DAS
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---
Danger, incorrect use of your car can damage your health
A rising tide of afflictions is besetting motorists as they
spend more time behind the wheel, reports Emma Smith of The Sunday Times
The neck is one of the areas that feels the strain
(Paul Vicente)
Travelling in half a ton of metal at 50mph is an inherently
risky business. But even the safest drivers, who obey the speed limit, pay
undivided attention to the road ahead and have never had an accident, still
run the risk of doing long-term damage to their health.
While car makers go to extreme efforts to make their vehicles as
comfortable as possible, they are just engaging in damage limitation when it
comes to the human body.
Sitting - or slouching - in a car seat while operating the
pedals with both feet and the steering wheel and gearstick with both hands
(not to mention the frequent swivelling of the neck and shoulders) puts a
multitude of stresses and strains on the body.
Taken in small doses the body accommodates such minor exertions,
but when these stresses occur regularly and are sustained over a period of
time, the combined effects can - as Jeremy Clarkson recently discovered (see
below) - result in serious physical problems.
Clarkson is not alone. According to the Department of Health, at
least half of high-mileage business drivers suffer from pains in their lower
back, and back pain caused by driving for long periods to get to the office
is increasingly a reason given for people taking days off work.
"Driving long distances is one of the worst things you can do to
your body," says Brian McIlwraith, an osteopath who specialises in car
ergonomics. "There's a tendency for you to be forced into a slumped
position, so your back is bent, putting pressure on the hips, lower back and
intervertebral discs.
"If the seat inclines back too far it can also mean that you
have to stretch your head slightly forwards in reaching the steering wheel,
which puts increased pressure on your neck and shoulders. The problems are
compounded when you swing your legs out of the car and have to pull yourself
out, putting more pressure on the lumbar spine."
Long-term pressure on the lower back can lead to slipped or
prolapsed discs, injuries that British drivers are becoming increasingly
susceptible to. We spend more time behind the wheel than ever before,
driving to work, driving to school - and driving to the gym where we pay to
rediscover the use of our legs.
The average driver in this country spends about 4œ hours behind
the wheel every week - more than ever before - yet many commuters spend
almost as long on the road every day.
In total, car travel now accounts for four-fifths of the
distance travelled per person per year.
Overall the distance travelled by car has increased by more than
11% since 1990 and UK motorists now travel an average of about 12,000 miles
per year.
So what can motorists do to alleviate associated health
problems? Choosing a vehicle that is suited to your build, height and age is
the first step. Low-slung sports cars for portly middle-aged businessmen are
as potentially bad as mammoth 4x4s for petite lady drivers who strain to see
over the wheel.
Where possible, drivers should invest only in cars with fully
adjustable seats and steering wheels, as well as lumbar support, so that the
driving position can be adjusted for maximum comfort.
Automatics are preferable to manuals because every time the foot
depresses the clutch, pressure is exerted on the lower back. Power steering
also eases strain on the shoulders.
It is important that the car allows you to find the right
driving position. If you put your palms together with wrists touching the
middle of the chest your fingers should point directly to the centre of the
steering wheel - some cars have slightly offset steering wheels that can
cause unnecessary strain. There should also be enough headroom - typically
the height of a clenched fist above your head - to remove any enforced
slouching.
But there are also remedies to help improve your current car.
Nicola Hunter, a physiotherapist and clinical director of Rehabworks, a
company that treats people with long-term
back and neck problems, says: "The headrest should come up to
the top of your ears to prevent your head being thrown back in an accident
and to provide support while driving, and you should be able to reach the
pedals without stretching.
"Sitting bolt upright puts weight on the lower back, so it's
better if the backrest inclines backwards slightly; a gradient of about
10%."
If your car does not offer lumbar support,
designed to curve into the driver's lower back, Hunter recommends buying a
lumbar roll from back-care centres or car accessory shops. "A rolled-up
sweatshirt would also help," she says.
However, it is not just bones and muscles that
feel the strain behind the wheel. A report by the Environmental Transport
Association found car occupants are exposed to higher levels of air
pollutants than pedestrians because they accumulate in the car during
driving.
The increasingly long journeys made also
increase the risks of tiredness behind the wheel. According to the
Department for Transport, 350 people are killed each year after a driver has
fallen asleep at the wheel. Male drivers aged 30 and under are the most
likely to doze off.
Recent research published in America also
suggests that people who suffer from heart problems and who are caught in
traffic are three times more likely to have a heart attack within the hour
than those who are not stuck in a jams. Overall heart attacks are 2.6 times
more common for people stuck in cars.
Then there is the threat of road rage which,
as last week's Driving revealed, 95% of UK drivers claim to have been a
victim of in some form during the past 12 months.
With medical authorities warning about the
effect of tension increasing blood pressure and therefore the threat of
heart attacks and strokes - probably not helped by the fatty food dished up
in motorway service stations - perhaps driving should carry a government
health warning.
--
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---
For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling
---