Driver's seat height safety problem

Hi Bruce,

I had similar problems for different reasons with an older model Camry. I made spacers and used longer bolts to lift the seat about 2". on the Prius the rear attachment is horizontal to the car floor so you would need a spacer that bolted to the car floor and then to the seat's support. I would get an engineer to do this to ensure that the seat anchorage remains safe.


Feri

 

Raising the seat as suggested above is an obvious solution. However, 5'3" is basically the average height for women and there are lots of them driving the Prius with no problems.

 

Double post

 

I'd think Japanese women are even shorter. I often thought Japanese cars are less ergonomic for Americans because of the difference in average height, and (shame on us) weight, of the populations.

 

This seems odd to me. I'm 6'2, my wife 5'2. We both drive with the seat all the way down and she has no issues. If you don't mind being closer to the ceiling I'd suggest adding 2.5" of high density foam to the base of the seat (under the seat cover).

 

I think OP is suggesting his wife has a visual disability.

 

my wife is 4'11" and has no problems driving the car...are you sure your wife really wants to drive the car?

 

This is a common problem with many of us, not just people of short stature. We compensate by becoming more aware of our surroundings in those areas.

 

I'm only 5'7" but I have very large thighs (not fat, ex Olympic style weight lifter). I find the height of the squab makes me sit too deep and consequently there is too much pressure under my thighs. I have folded a large towel and it is now permanently trapped in position under our Clazzio seat covers and gives me just the right amount of lift so I don't lose circulation in my legs.

 

How about a nice comfy cushion.


Forever Comfy™ Seat Cushion - Bed Bath & Beyond

 

Does your medical provider offer a selection of seat cushion wedges for people dealing with minor back pain? I used a thin one in a previous car, but not in this car. The spouse uses a thicker one in her car, and brings it along on long trips in the Prius where she will be driving.

If you lived in a Group Health Cooperative service area, I'd point to its Take Care Store. I don't believe you need to be a covered member to buy items from this shop, located in some GHC facilities. But the same items should also be available elsewhere.

 

My wife is 5'3" and doesn't have a problem driving the Prius 3 with manual seat adjustment FWIW. At some point, raising the driver position with a cushion will result in an uncomfortable reach to the pedals, especially the gas.

Edit: Reread your OP, have you had her vision thoroughly checked by an ophthalmologist?

 

Maybe she needs something like this?

Hood mounted blindspot mirror


It would allow her to see everything in the blindspot as well as the side of your car, which should make judging speed and relative distance easier for her. I've seen these mounted on cars driven by people who have problems with vision, difficulty turning their head to check traffic, etc.

Biggest benefit is you don't have to deal with cushions that might affect how stable she is on the driver's seat. I would be concerned how the seatbelts would perform on someone who's seated on a moveable cushion, as well as the previously mentioned issue of pedal reach.

 

The biggest bang for buck will be getting her seat level higher but here are a couple of suggestions.

Being of the lesser vertical persuasion I just went out to my Prius to check visibility. What I had a difficult time doing was getting over the R and L front visibility. What I found was doing a conscious looking at the R front windshield, the triangular glass, and over and slightly in back of the R side mirror. It takes an effort to get it into my body memory to do it. I do the same on the L side. That took care of the the front vision.

The side vision is more of a challenge. The headrest does not allow a smaller person to see in back of the pillar. The good news is that it can be very quickly removed and then replaced when there is a passenger. I turn my head quite a bit when changing lanes. In fact, I always turn my head twice and more of a rotational turn than most people. I depend on my R sideview a lot less than my L. My rearview mirror covers better on the R side.

It is possible to get a flat R mirror through import sources, although I would not recommend it. In fact I am in the process of ordering a convex aspherical lens for the L side out of Germany.
The steering wheel does not allow for enough closer travel for a few shorter people. Unfortunately there is no solution for that other than to extend and tilt.

Here is a news flash: Us short people often lie about how tall we are.