YP Letters: Slumping at the wheel cuts drivers' visibility

From: Mr SB Oliver, Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike.
Potholes continue to cause a hazard on the region's roads.Potholes continue to cause a hazard on the region's roads.
Potholes continue to cause a hazard on the region's roads.

THE AA says that learner drivers should have to prove they can see potholes in the driving test (The Yorkshire Post, July 7). This subject is significant to me, not because of the subject of potholes, but because of the bad seating position of many drivers.

Drivers will see potholes only if they are able to see the road surface from their usual driving position. For quite some time now I have been concerned when I see hundreds of drivers whose heads are almost behind the steering wheel with their eyes almost level with, or just above, the top of the steering wheel.

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This means that the driver is unable to see the surface of the road ahead and can only see the top half of the vehicle in front.

So consequently they won’t see any road lane markings, especially direction arrows and yellow box junctions, pedestrian crossings and, of course, potholes and small children.

I drive a Ford Focus and am of average height and able to see the road surface about four metres in front. The problem seems to be with drivers who are smaller than average. Then there are the young male drivers who think it’s cool to look bored and slump down in the seat (often without the seatbelt as well). I don’t know if any police check patrol would consider a bad driving position to be a careless driving offence.

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