201 points

Agree.

Also people seem to think the head rests are there for you to constantly be resting your head on but they are head restraints.. They’re there so you don’t break your neck if you get in an accident - not to be comfy on a long drive.

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88 points
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This is the correct answer. It’s a safety device, not for resting your head. When the foam is not compressed it is not good neck alignment, but in an accident, your head slams into the foam and crushes it, that’s when your neck is in good alignment, preventing damage.

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32 points

I agree that the main reason for them is to prevent breaking your neck in an accident. But I have to ask… Why not make something that allows for both? Surely we can make something that helps ease our neck and shoulder muscles for long drives and prevent us from snapping our necks in a car accident from in front or back of us. No?

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33 points

Those exist in fancier cars. Recently rented a jaguar f-type for a weekend getaway road trip and we noticed after an hour or 2 that the headrests actually were functional and comfy. Why the hell that shape isnt used in a normal seat i have no idea.

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4 points

You answered it yourself. It’s to sell more high dollar cars.

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2 points

I bought little neck cushions for my Passat. I like sitting back and being comfy. I don’t understand how people can lean forward for long trips and some have their head to the steering wheel.

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6 points

Idk I think because of how much force needs to be contained by the restraint it is rigid for a reason. My guess is there is an engineering reason based on physics.

Also you don’t want people to be falling asleep while driving (anymore than already happens) so maybe that’s a factor too? Like it’s not meant to be a pillow lol

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You shouldn’t be pushing against it, but you shouldn’t be that far away from it either to prevent whip lash.

Any normal headrest can be angled almost vertically so it’s not like OPs picture. I wonder if op just doesn’t realize you can tilt them further forward and reset them.

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-3 points

OP is making a joke, I’m sure they’re aware headrests move and none actually look like the post lol.

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39 points

They are not joking, and some cars cannot adjust the angle or lateral position of the headrest without replacement. There are cars (like 2009 Lincoln MKZs, cough) that have headrests and seats that look and feel exactly like the image.

I owned one for about 3 years, and I still blame it for starting my weird neck/shoulder problems years later.

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3 points

then why do some of them go so far forward? I’d love to rest my upper back against the seat every now and then, but that requires me to move my head forward like in the OP.

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0 points

Just because big automobile is out to get you.

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2 points

I knew it! They want me to have neck pain so I can’t walk, so I’ll drive more.

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3 points

Never knew this before. Thank you!

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-3 points

It’s there for me to use. How I use it is up to me.

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49 points

Ackshually…it’s there for complying with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regulations and protecting auto manufacturers from legal liability. If you use the safety device incorrectly and suffer injury as a result, that’s entirely on you. Everyone is free win their Darwin award!

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-1 points

He said he is free to use it how he wants and you said he’s free to use it how he wants. Weird disparity in votes for that one.

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10 points

Completely true. It’s also true your choice can be wrong.

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113 points
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That’s to correct your posture, soon you’ll have a mighty hump!

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55 points

Car driver problems lmao. Just ride a dragon to work instead.

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25 points

No way, I’m still picking scales out of my crack from the last time I gave that a shot

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7 points

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38 points

I am very short, and sit up rather straight. My head hits what should be the most comfortable parts of every kind of seating in the most uncomfortable way. This is an accurate representation of the sensation, when curved neck portion ends up at top of your skull, and doubly so, if it’s a bucket seat. Special cushions help, in certain vehicles, which can also alleviate the seatbelt going practically across your throat. Our old Outback is tolerable, which is lovely.

We have a couple IKEA Poang chairs at home, and I need to make pillow booster-seats for the damned things, or it’s just this image, lol

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10 points

I just bought a 2024 Prius and as a short person I can attest that it’s the best short-people car I’ve ever had. While it does suffer from most of the issues you would assume from not testing with shorter dummies, those issues don’t really get in the way like they do in other cars. The seat and headrest feel great, the seatbelt is adjustable on the side so it won’t cut into your neck, and it’s very easy to get in and out of. 10/10 car for us short people.

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6 points

I’m tall and long in the torso. The last serious car accident I was in my head bashed against the ceiling in a frightening way. Or, it would have been frightening if I had any memory of it. I had a brush burn on my forehead which could only have happened if my head was pushed way back from hitting the ceiling. Before you ask, I always wear a seatbelt.

Anyway, that’s not why I’m replying. I’m generally ok with car headrests, although I usually have to lean the seat back pretty far to just fit in.

I bought a new office chair. I specifically chose one without a headrest, but it showed up with one anyway. At it’s highest adjustment it sits right between my shoulders.

The world seems designed to fit such a narrow range of people.

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8 points

Fact is, if you aren’t in the central bell curve, then you aren’t a profitable sector. Everything is tailored to the average these days in order to have the largest potential pool of customers from which to extract profit. If only one out of every ten people is tall enough to have problems with “regular sized” objects then that means only one out of every ten people are potential customers for your Big&Tall products. 99% of companies will elect to target the other 9/10 instead, even in a saturated market.

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2 points

Yes those Poang chairs hurt my neck so bad, we had to get rid of it as it caused headaches whenever I sat in it. What about Airplane seats they also seem to push your neck forward in an in unergonomic way.

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2 points

We have the Poangs as well, and I can’t recline in them. The only comfortable position is to rip the cushion out and put it on the floor, and sit on the floor. >.<

I have the seatbelt cutting my neck problem too - and I’m not exactly short. :/

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32 points

Crash test ratings probably.

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25 points

So your neck doesn’t whip back and keeps your spine in line.

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