Short Person Driving: Need Help & Suggestions

[sid_blr]

My wife is too short to reach the pedals and see over the dashboard of my i20. Since I drive the car frequently, I do not want to make modifications. My wife has started using cushions, but it looks like the cushions need a lot of adjustment.

Can anyone please put pictures of how a short person uses cushions to reach the pedals and see over the dashboard at the same time? any other suggestions welcome

Thanks in advance!

 

[Viru]

Re: Short Person driving : need help, suggestions

I would suggest using pedal extenders. I'm not sure if they are readily available in India, but you may be able to find them if you search diligently.

Also, why not purchase a very thick cushion that is about the width and shape of the car seat? This way you won't have to adjust it as much as many smaller cushions.

Together these should make driving very comfortable for your wife!

 

[sid_blr]

Thank you for the suggestions. Unfortunately, we have already tried but am unable to find pedal extenders.

My wife tried sitting on a very thick cushion but the original problems remained: her leg kept touching the steering column and she sits in a very upright position to reach the pedals. Can someone put photos of short women using cushions without any problems? I am pretty sure most Indian women use cushions to drive.

 

[codename47]

Can you change the seat rails underneath ?
May be bring it a step forward so that when you move it forward it makes it easier to reach to the pedals.

If that doesn't help than may be try changing the seat. My falcon has an electronic adjustable seat. I can adjust it to higher position without changing the knee positions.

Cushions are unsafe and may affect the back.

 

[Viru]

Thank you for the suggestions. Unfortunately, we have already tried but am unable to find pedal extenders.

My wife tried sitting on a very thick cushion but the original problems remained: her leg kept touching the steering column and she sits in a very upright position to reach the pedals. Can someone put photos of short women using cushions without any problems? I am pretty sure most Indian women use cushions to drive.

I found this issue quite intriguing, as I am quite sure many men and women struggle to overcome this everyday. Since today I was at a meet with many of my relatives, we had a bit of a discussion about this.

1. One of them has an i20, and even I found the seat a bit too low-slung, I am relatively sure replacing it with an i10 or Santro seat will help, if it is possible!

2. My cousin says he is quite sure the pedal extenders are available on special order via the Orthopaedics department at Fortis Hospital. If this is so, they may also be available from other hospitals more convenient for you.

Ps. If the orthopaedics departments can't get a hold of the extenders, they will surely be able to make further suggestions!

I hope you find a solution!

 

[sid_blr]

Thank you for all your replies. I finally managed to get hold of pedal extenders from Fortis! Phew! My wife can finally reach the pedals comfortably. Now, it looks like the last problem remaining is that my wife needs to see over the steering wheel. I have suggested her to sit on one medium cushion just enough to have her line of sight above the steering wheel, but she is adamant of using two cushions. I am not sure if this might pose any problem. Does anyone have any photographs of how a short wife should use cushions to increase their driving visibility?

 

[Viru]

Thank you for all your replies. I finally managed to get hold of pedal extenders from Fortis! Phew! My wife can finally reach the pedals comfortably. Now, it looks like the last problem remaining is that my wife needs to see over the steering wheel. I have suggested her to sit on one medium cushion just enough to have her line of sight above the steering wheel, but she is adamant of using two cushions. I am not sure if this might pose any problem. Does anyone have any photographs of how a short wife should use cushions to increase their driving visibility?

Great!

IMO having 2 cushions might be unsafe. If the steering wheel is tilt adjustable and the seat is height adjustable, what if you bring the wheel as low as possible and raise the seat as high as possible? Then maybe 1 cushion would suffice!

Otherwise you might have to replace the seat with a higher one from a car such as i10 or Santro. That way you will both be able to drive comfortably.

 

[kenlitting]

Thank you for all your replies. I finally managed to get hold of pedal extenders from Fortis! Phew! My wife can finally reach the pedals comfortably. Now, it looks like the last problem remaining is that my wife needs to see over the steering wheel. I have suggested her to sit on one medium cushion just enough to have her line of sight above the steering wheel, but she is adamant of using two cushions. I am not sure if this might pose any problem. Does anyone have any photographs of how a short wife should use cushions to increase their driving visibility?

How much does the pedal extenders cost, please upload an image of one you got.

 

[manojk]

There are some cars for the short height person like BMW 3 Series, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Sienna, etc.
How it will be if you buy such car for your wife.

 

[Viru]

There are some cars for the short height person like BMW 3 Series, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Sienna, etc.
How it will be if you buy such car for your wife.

Bro, that's hardly a economically viable option, and those vehicles are much more difficult for short people to drive than an i20!

 

[Kichu]

My wife is too short to reach the pedals and see over the dashboard of my i20. Since I drive the car frequently, I do not want to make modifications. My wife has started using cushions, but it looks like the cushions need a lot of adjustment.

Can anyone please put pictures of how a short person uses cushions to reach the pedals and see over the dashboard at the same time? any other suggestions welcome

Thanks in advance!

Hi Sid,

IMO, pedal extender is required only if she cant see the road at all. Anyways its good if she is happy with it.

Get a WEDGE SHAPED CUSHION for her driving seat to increase the height without letting her knee to touch the steering column. Attaching few pics for the reference

If its difficult for you to get these kind of cushions as ready-made, then find a seat modification store and give them a order for a wedge shaped cushion according to your requirement.

TIP: Since she is having difficulty in knowing the distance after the front end of the car, ask her to practice well with a plastic chair as obstacle.(Or something that is not going to harm the car paint when it comes to contact)

Keep the chair (as obstacle) few meters away infront of the car and ask her to move and stop the car as closer as possible without hitting to it.
In the beginning, let her decide herself about judging the distance and you should ask her to stop the car only if she hit the chair.
So when she stop the car, ask her to come out and see the real distance between the chair and car.
By practicing this she can easily judge the SAFE Distance infront of her car. Which is very importance in city driving conditions.

I started driving my Ambassador at the age of 9. When I get into the driving position I could see the sky more than the road(But obviously I could see the road).here I didn't use an extender or cushions. If I could drive this car with those hard pedals and unpowered steering then its definitely possible for short people to drive modern cars by doing enough practices.

 

[alexddas]

guys i started driving in a jeep, as all know we see the edge of the hood in a jeep.
And then to an amby, in an amby seat is mutch lower and used to set posts at the sides to know where the sides are.
Then came 800 low seat but can see the hood end if we want to.
Later indica, much higher dashboard.
We adjusted to it even though we cannot see the hood.
And then came swift and punto much high dashboard and lower seats, did anyone think of a cushion to ride a punto?
Guys the point is practice.
we can drive any car with much lowered back rest even if we can see the road only through our steering wheels.
So let her practice without any cushion in the position where she can reach her pedals.
My view, please excuse.
But i bet i can drive at a much a lowered back rest where i can see the road only through the steering wheels.
I drove on a indica with a damaged back rest which locks at a much lower position, found difficult but it got adjusted.

 

[Viru]

Get a WEDGE SHAPED CUSHION for her driving seat to increase the height without letting her knee to touch the steering column. Attaching few pics for the reference
image

image


If its difficult for you to get these kind of cushions as ready-made, then find a seat modification store and give them a order for a wedge shaped cushion according to your requirement.

TIP: Since she is having difficulty in knowing the distance after the front end of the car, ask her to practice well with a plastic chair as obstacle.(Or something that is not going to harm the car paint when it comes to contact)

This seems like a good solution!

If you're feeling brave you could also ask any nearby foam/mattress store to make the cushion to the dimensions and angle your wife thinks would be comfortable.

 

[HR11]

Thank you for all your replies. I finally managed to get hold of pedal extenders from Fortis! Phew! My wife can finally reach the pedals comfortably. Now, it looks like the last problem remaining is that my wife needs to see over the steering wheel. I have suggested her to sit on one medium cushion just enough to have her line of sight above the steering wheel, but she is adamant of using two cushions. I am not sure if this might pose any problem. Does anyone have any photographs of how a short wife should use cushions to increase their driving visibility?

Could you tell me how you got this? as i have also the same problem for my wife

 

[sid_blr]

Could you tell me how you got this? as i have also the same problem for my wife

After using for some time, it did not turn out to be of much use. Pedal extenders are only for slightly shorter women. My wife is much shorter, and hence my wife is using cushions.

Please post some full-sized pictures of your wife sitting in the driver's seat and I can recommend what would be the best solution for your wife.