It is a familiar sight during the summer months.
The windows are open, the music is playing, and a passenger settles back with their feet resting on the dashboard.
To many people it looks relaxed and harmless.
In reality, it is one of the most dangerous seating positions anyone can adopt inside a moving vehicle.
As a driver, you are responsible not only for the safe operation of the vehicle but also for ensuring that your passengers travel safely.
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Airbags save lives… when used correctly
Passenger airbags are designed to protect occupants from striking the dashboard during a collision.
To do this, they inflate in approximately 20 to 40 milliseconds, deploying at speeds that can approach 300 km/h.
When a passenger is seated correctly, the airbag cushions the head and upper body.
However, if their feet are resting on the dashboard, the airbag deploys directly beneath their legs.
Instead of protecting them, the airbag can force the knees violently backwards towards the face and chest.
Medical professionals have reported injuries including:
- Fractured femurs
- Broken hips and pelvis
- Knee dislocations
- Facial fractures
- Spinal injuries
- Permanent paralysis
These injuries can occur even in collisions that would otherwise have been survivable with relatively minor injuries.
Seatbelts only work when passengers sit correctly
Seatbelts are designed to restrain the pelvis and upper torso.
When a passenger reclines excessively or raises their legs onto the dashboard, the geometry of the restraint system changes significantly.
During heavy braking or a collision, the body may slide beneath the lap belt, a phenomenon known as submarining.
The consequences may include:
- Severe abdominal injuries as the belt rides upwards.
- Internal organ damage.
- Impact with the dashboard or windscreen.
- Partial or complete ejection in severe collisions.
It also affects the driver’s safety
Passengers with their legs raised can also obstruct part of the driver’s field of vision, particularly towards the passenger side of the windscreen.
More importantly, every occupant travelling incorrectly increases the likelihood of serious injury should the unexpected occur.
As drivers, we have a responsibility to challenge unsafe behaviour before setting off.
The legal position in Spain
Spanish traffic regulations require vehicle occupants to maintain an appropriate position within the vehicle, correctly using the safety systems provided and avoiding behaviour that compromises road safety.
While many people associate this simply with wearing a seatbelt, posture matters too.
Safety systems are engineered to work together.
Changing your seating position changes how those systems perform.
Before you move off
It only takes a few seconds to remind passengers:
- Wear the seatbelt correctly.
- Sit upright.
- Keep both feet on the floor.
- Keep the dashboard clear.
Those few seconds may prevent injuries that last a lifetime.
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