How to Drive and Maintain Good Posture

Modern cars provide lots of ways to set up the driver’s seat and steering wheel – height, forwards and back, cushion angle, seat back angle, and so on. Many luxury cars go even further with multi-way seat and pedal adjustments. Yet despite this flexibility, many drivers reach their destination with stiff legs, an aching back, and a crick in their neck.

The problem is posture, or more accurately, bad posture. The human body just wasn’t made to sit with arms and legs outstretched for hours at time. Muscles stiffen and joints, especially in the spine, compress. Throw in vibration and the need to brace against braking, cornering, and acceleration forces, and it’s a wonder people still put up with the process!

People who spend hours in the driver’s seat frequently suffer a variety of injuries resulting from poor posture. Neck strain is common, as are lower back pain and stiff legs. These are often caused by having the seat reclined too far, sitting too close to the wheel, and twisting.

Resting an elbow on the top of the door or an armrest twists the spine, as does rotating a leg to get a foot on the pedals comfortably. This is a particular issue with manual transmissions where both feet are used. And for men, sitting on a wallet placed in the back pocket of their pants twists the hips and spine.

But even if you know the importance of maintaining good posture, it’s not easy to do. According to ergonomists at the UK’s Loughborough University, it’s all about seat position. Here are a few tips from their website, Driving Ergonomics.

Start by setting the seat as high as you can without bumping your head on the roof. Then slide it forward until you can push the gas pedal all the way down—but don’t sit any closer than needed. If the seat has cushion angle adjustment, tilt it up so your thighs are fully supported, but try to avoid pressure behind the knees.

Then adjust the angle of the seat back. A common mistake is to recline it too far, tipping the head forward and loading up the neck. Ideally, the back should be supported all the way up to the shoulders. Many seats provide additional support for the lower back or lumbar region, so dial this in until your spine is supported along its length.

Now put the steering wheel in a comfortable position and the head restraint at the correct height. With this done, adjust the mirrors for the best possible rearwards view.

One aspect of driving posture that that gets debated is the position of the hands on the wheel. The experts at Ergologic.net have some advice on this. They’ve found that while the “quarter to three” position is often recommended, the hands aren’t well supported, creating tension in them and the shoulders. Instead, they recommend a “ten to two” position with hands resting on the wheel.

Last, take regular breaks when on a long drive. Stop every two hours or so, get out and walk around to give your muscles and joints a chance to move in to new positions.

Driving is hard on the body, so car makers incorporate as much flexibility in seating position as possible. This should let every driver maintain a good posture, but it also increases the chances of finding the wrong position. Take a few minutes to set your seat up properly and avoid the stiff legs, back ache, and cricked neck.

Your peace of mind is our priority at Sheehy Nissan of Mechanicsville. For more on the road tips, visit us today.

Back to School Driving Safety Tips

It’s time for the little ones to head back to school! 

While this time of year is exciting for youngsters, adults are not only confronted with the challenge of a modified daily agenda, but they are also presented with a slew of changes on the road, including an increase in cyclists, school buses and young pedestrians. 

This school year, we at Sheehy Nissan of Mechanicsville encourage you to be cautious on the road and follow these tips from the National Safety Council to ensure a safe morning commute. 

Eliminate distractions: Driving the kids to school should be a hands-free activity. Put down the cell phone and do not text or engage in phone conversation behind the wheel. 

Obey the speed limit: Comply with traffic laws and drive slowly. Obeying the speed limit is especially important while driving in residential areas and school zones. 

Be mindful: As school buses stop often to pick up or drop off children, drivers must keep a watchful eye on young pedestrians who may pay no heed to traffic or walk in the street.  Also, if backing out of your driveway, be sure to watch for children walking or biking to school. 

Buckle up: Setting a good example is important. All vehicle passengers should utilize their seatbelt, including the driver. Children en route to school should also remove their backpack prior to buckling up.

10 Fun Games to Play on a Road Trip

Road trips don’t have to be dull, and kids don’t have to spend every minute playing video games or watching movies to stay entertained. Instead, stretch your mind and enjoy some friendly bonding time with a few classic travel games. Here are ten fun games to play on a road trip, from our team at Sheehy Nissan of Mechanicsville.

1. The License Plate Game — There are many variations, but the goal of the basic license plate game is to spot plates from the 50 states. Make a list as you see license plates from different states, or start with a pre-printed list and check them off as you go.

2. License Plate Phrases — Call out the letters on a passing license plate and come up with funny phrases that fit the letters. For example, “HJB” could be “high jumping bears” or “holly jolly bus.”

3. Travel Scavenger Hunt — Make up a list of things you may see while traveling and check off the items you find. You can also find a list of items online before your trip. Whoever finds the most wins.

4. Travel Bingo — Make car travel bingo cards using commonly spotted objects in place of the usual bingo numbers, or buy cards with sliding covers to mark each spot. You can play regular bingo or other variations like four corners, whole card or postage stamp.

5. Common Cars — Everyone picks a type of car before the trip and counts up the number they see while traveling. The one who finds the most of their car type wins. It helps to keep a running tally sheet.

6. Packing for a Trip — Start with the letter A and take turns going through the alphabet to name crazy items you would pack for a trip. The catch: each person has to name all of the previous items and their new one. The first one to incorrectly name a previously mentioned item or repeat an item loses. Keep going until only one person can correctly name all the previous items and one new one.

7. Quick Categories — Pick a category (animals, cities, flowers, etc.) and see how many items each person can come up with in two minutes. The one with the highest number wins.

8. How Far is It? — Spot an object in the distance that you will drive past, like a bridge or large sign, and have everyone guess how far it away it is. Use the odometer to see whose guess was the closest. To play this game safely, have the person in the passenger seat (not the driver) watch the odometer, or make your guesses in seconds and count it out.

9. The Alphabet Game — Choose a broad category (food, colors, etc.) and take turns going through each letter of the alphabet to name an item that fits the category. The first person who can’t think of an item that fits their letter loses.

10. Who Am I? — One player thinks of a person who everyone knows and gives a clue to describe him or her. Everyone else guesses who is being described. New clues are added until someone guesses correctly.

Nissan ZEOD RC Launch Video

Check out this video to see and learn more about the world's fastest electric race car, the Nissan ZEOD RC! What do you think?

Nissan Unveils World's Fastest Electronic Race Car

Nissan has announced plans and details around its upcoming all-electric racing car, the ZEOD RC. The Zero Emission On Demand Racing car is said to be capable of a top speed in excess of 300 kilometers per hour (186.4 miles per hour), is shaped a bit like the closed-cockpit version of the DeltaWing (albeit, to our eyes, better looking) and will make its debut in 2014 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This weekend, visitors to the race will have the opportunity to view the prototype near the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Nissan's ZEOD RC has been invited by Le Mans organizers to compete as the Garage 56 entry in next year's race; that's essentially a spot on the grid held for vehicles with new and/or cutting edge technology.

Short of announcing a partnership with Michelin to develop tires for the EV racecar, however, Nissan is mum on any kind of battery or motor specification for the ZEOD. The press release (below) offers a sense that the Nissan and Nismo teams have still got a lot of work to do before the 2014 race. Ben Bowlby, designer of the ZEOD RC, says "We have many options to consider and test. The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport."

The ultimate goal of the ZEOD RC program, in terms of racing at least, is to sort out the feasibility of a LM P1 all-electric class for future Le Mans racing. Continue on below for more information, as well as a video about the ZEOD RC project.

Via Autoblog

Enter the World of Nismo

Enter the world of Nissan Nismo and high-speed racing in this weeks video:

Nissan GT-R Nismo Poised to be Fasted Nissan Ever

For almost every year since the Nissan GT-R first debuted, Nissan has been figuring out how to cram more power under the hood or give it 911-like quickness around the Nürburgring. Looking to create a brand image for its performance arm, we already knew that a hotter, Nismo-branded GT-R was in the works, but it seems some details may have leaked regarding this new Nismo GT-R.

While little has been spoken of this Super GT-R since February, Top Gear is reporting that Nismo is planning to make improvements to the coupe's power, handing and styling – three things that we're sure few have complained about since 2009. What could this mean for the GT-R? According to the article, Nismo could be looking to raise horsepower from the current 545-hp mark to more than 570 hp, and handling upgrades could give the car a 'Ring lap time of seven minutes and 22 seconds, which as Top Gear points out, is four seconds quicker than the new 911 GT3.