As the title says, I’ve heard that putting your feet on the dashboard is more dangerous when you get in a car accident. I prefer to sit like this in the passenger seat, but some people have told me I am more likely to break my spine or legs in this position.
About 20 years ago, I knew a woman who had to have her leg amputated after a bad car accident. I remember she told me she was sitting the “proper” way too. So, #1) Is it true that putting your feet up in a moving car is that much worse for your body; and #2) Can you explain how sitting properly in a car helps prevent damage or injury to the body?
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Yes it is true, and the answers you already have are excellent. You don’t want your knees jammed in to your face. This is hard on the knees and on the face.
Also, be careful about drawing conclusions from anecdotal evidence. There are cases where someone wearing a seatbelt likely had a better outcome than they would have had with a seatbelt on, but this is a fluke and represents a tiny percentage of cases compared to the majority of the time when a seatbelt is beneficial and conducive to human life. I knew a guy who would still be alive today had he not been partially ejected and pinned under his own car.
Doing the correct thing doesn’t guarantee a good outcome, but doing the wrong thing almost always results in a worse outcome.
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