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About this tool
Seat, wheel and head-restraint targets plus a legal break schedule and stretch routine for long drives.
This planner does two jobs for long drives: it converts your body height into measurable seat targets — head restraint top height, backset, chest-to-air-bag distance, seat back angle and knee angle — and it builds a break schedule from the published rules rather than guesswork. Private journeys follow UK Highway Code Rule 91, which asks for at least a 15-minute break every two hours; professional drivers follow EU Regulation (EC) No 561/2006, which requires a 45-minute break after no more than 4.5 hours of driving. Each break comes with a six-move stretch sequence that fits inside it.
Open Driver Seat Posture Routine on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
Break intervals come from Highway Code Rule 91 and EU Regulation 561/2006, and the tool flags a shift over the 9-hour daily limit.
Head restraint height is derived from your sitting height, so it is a number you can check rather than 'about right'.
The six-move routine totals 6 minutes 30 seconds, so it fits comfortably inside a 15-minute break.
At least a 15-minute break every two hours of driving, which is what UK Highway Code Rule 91 recommends for a long journey. Professional drivers under EU Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 must take at least 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours, and that break can be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes.
Keep at least 25 cm (10 inches) between your breastbone and the centre of the steering-wheel air-bag cover, which is the distance NHTSA recommends. You should still be able to rest your wrist on the top of the wheel with your shoulders staying in contact with the seat back.
About 100 to 110 degrees, so you are reclined slightly rather than bolt upright. A fully upright seat back increases pressure through the lower spine and makes it harder to keep your shoulders against the seat while steering.
Set the top of the head restraint level with the top of your head — roughly 52% of your height above the seat cushion — and keep the gap behind your head to about 7 cm or less. A restraint that is too low or too far back does far less in a rear-end collision, which is what IIHS head-restraint geometry ratings measure.