<p>Thanks for the heads up for us short people. I could sit further back but I have a default position that is closer to the wheel. I think I’ll make an effort to train myself to be more comfortable sitting further back.</p>
<p>DD/DW, no matter. Agree with you, thumper. EVERYONE riding in my car MUST be buckled up. Always. No exceptions. This includes the dog,when he was alive. They canbe missles if not secured in cars.</p>
<p>I have a friend, very tall, who was in accident on 9/11 in Arlington-- a bus driver apparently freaked out and turned across several lanes of traffic; friend was driving about 8 mph, but pushed into car in front of him. Had had his head turned, trying to move to avoid the pile up. Is now deaf in one ear from the airbag going off.</p>
<p>(Incidentally, he was in the reserves, and immediately deployed to Kazhakstan for a year following this.)</p>
<p>Adjustable pedals are wonderful for us vertically challenged people. I remember growing up and my Dad taped blocks of wood to the pedals for my mom so her feet would touch the pedals. I cringe when I see people practically sitting on top of the steering wheel.</p>
<p>Airbag deployed when my husband had an accident and the car was totaled. He suffered zero injury. Thank goodness it was a new car and the airbag worked. D1 had an old car and the airbag didn’t work, the car was a also a total, she suffered minor whiplash but was ok after treating it. Both had seat belts on.
EDIT to add that in recent drivers permit test, it asks which is safer to be 6 inches or 10 inches from the steering wheel, the correct answer is 10 inches. So the further away is better.</p>
<p>Buckling up is mandatory in my car, whether you sit in the front or rear seat. My kids, now both adults, wouldn’t consider not wearing a seatbelt.</p>
<p>The airbag issue concerns me since I’m also short and feel more comfortable driving when I have a good view over the front of the car. I appreciate the need to be a distance away from the steering wheel, but I also need to see where I’m going.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of getting a new SUV for that reason, I can see better in an SUV. I have an old one.</p>
<p>Both people in the front seat of my new Subaru have to be buckled or it will beep. No choice there. H and I were in 2 accidents recently although the airbags did not deploy in either wreak, it was scary. </p>
<p>Speedy recovery to your mother HIMom</p>
<p>Another short driver here (5’1"). I also need to sit close to the wheel in order to reach the pedals. I’ve hesitated to look into the cost of having the feel pedals adjusted due to what the cost might be. I expect it to be expensive. One more damn expense. Sigh.</p>
<p>Can they do it at the dealers? I’m 5" tall.</p>
<p>Agree with SteveMA, adjustable pedals should be considered for the replacement vehicle. My car is 10 years old and has the feature (Mercury Sable). </p>
<p>Wishing your mom a speedy recovery.</p>
<p>I’m 5’2" and must drive in the closest position to even reach the pedals. Even at that, I have to hyper-extend my right foot. It’s horribly uncomfortable. Most of the above posts act as if it’s super easy to just scoot back. It’s not, if you want your foot to reach the gas pedal :)</p>
<p>Smaller cars might be somewhat better; my beef is with F150 trucks! Not only is there the air bag issues, it’s really difficult to climb into with the minimal clearance between seat and steering wheel.</p>
<p>
DrGoogle:
Just curious - was this an old car that was purchased by you new or was it a used car? If it was an old one that you purchased new then that’s a scary thought that the airbag didn’t work. If it was purchased as a used car it’s scary as well but apparently this is one of the areas to watch out for when purchasing a used car - missing airbags (due to their value).</p>
<p>If buying a new car it’s probably worth checking on the particulars of the airbag deployment system in that model, especially if one is short. Many cars now have variable force deployments that vary depending on the collision force, whether one’s wearing a seat belt, and even the distance of the driver from the wheel from what I’ve read. I doubt all cars are equal in this area.</p>
<p>A friend had a recall on their car where it said the passenger airbag could be deployed with too much force for a smaller person. The recall fixed that somehow.</p>
<p>HiMom:
Was this crash in one of the Volvos? Regardless, it probably helped your mom. I wish her the best on a quick recovery.</p>
<p>GladGradDad,
I never buy used cars. I only buy new cars and keep them until it’s too old to drive. Toyota Camry 1998. Not sure if the airbag didn’t work or the accident was not impacted enough to trigger it. The car was hit in the left front. The car was totaled so I assume it didn’t work.</p>
<p>
</p>
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<p>There are also do-it-yourselfers who get rubber blocks and screw them into the existing pedals, though care must be taken to avoid ergonomic problems, or such hazards as floor mat entrapment.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A 14-year-old car may be declared a total loss with relatively minor damage from an impact that was not hard enough to trigger the air bag. If the driver had no or minimal injury without air bag deployment, then it is the correct “decision” to not deploy the air bag, since the air bag should only be deployed when crashing hard enough to cause injuries greater than injuries that the air bag could cause. Before air bags become common, many cars protected their drivers from injury in frontal crashes up to 30mph or 35mph with just the seat belts (which should be used, of course).</p>
<p>ucb, it could be but my daughter couldn’t drive it far after the accident. Sold to junk yard.</p>
<p>Damage that will prevent the car from being driven and which would cost more to repair than the ~$5,000 that would be the upper end of the value of a 1998 Toyota Camry could easily result from a crash below the air bag deployment threshold. That your daughter was able to drive the car even a small distance indicates that she was not seriously injured in the crash without air bag deployment.</p>
<p>Really, in a crash where the occupants are uninjured without air bag deployment, it is better that the air bag did not deploy. It is only in more severe crashes where the risks from air bag deployment are less than the risks from the crash without air bag deployment does it make sense for the air bag to deploy.</p>
<p>If one has those pedal extenders installed, can a person who is taller remove them to drive? Or is it pretty much that if you install them, only the short person drives that car going forward?</p>
<p>Good question Very Happy. My youngest will soon be driving and I’ll be sharing a vehicle with him. He is much taller than I am so pedal extenders would get in his way.</p>