The head restraint at the top of your seat is easy to overlook, but where you set it makes a difference to both your comfort and your safety. Set well, it supports your neck and gives your head a natural place to rest on longer drives. It takes only a moment to adjust, and it is worth doing whenever you get into a different vehicle.

Set the height first

The height is the part most worth getting right. As a general guide, raise the restraint so the top of it sits roughly level with the top of your head, or at least level with the tops of your ears.

If it sits too low, it tends to catch the back of your neck rather than supporting your head, which can feel uncomfortable over time. Taking a few seconds to raise it to the right height gives your head somewhere to rest naturally.

Check the gap behind your head

Once the height is set, notice how far the restraint sits from the back of your head. A smaller gap is better, ideally close enough that your head does not have far to travel back if you need it.

You may find your seat is reclined so far that your head sits well forward of the restraint. If so, easing the backrest a little more upright usually brings your head closer to it, and tends to feel more supported for driving anyway.

Let it support an upright head position

When the restraint is set well, it gently encourages your head to stack over your shoulders rather than drifting forward towards the windscreen. A forward head position held for a long drive is a common cause of neck and upper back tension.

If the restraint feels like it pushes your head forward, that is worth adjusting. Some can be tilted as well as raised, so you could try angling it so it sits close to your head without nudging it forward.

Fit it around the rest of your setup

Set the head restraint after you have sorted your seat height and backrest angle, since both change where your head ends up. It works alongside good back support and a comfortable seat distance rather than on its own.

Even with everything set well, staying in one position for hours is what tends to stiffen the neck most, so breaking up longer drives with short movement helps too.

A stretch to ease your neck after driving

Once you have parked, a gentle stretch helps release the tension that builds in your neck from driving. Sitting or standing tall, you could slowly tilt one ear towards that shoulder until you feel a light stretch along the opposite side of your neck, hold for a few comfortable breaths, then swap sides. Keep the movement gentle and stop if it feels sharp.

If you would like to follow a guided version, VIDA has a short stretch video you can do at your own pace.

A quick recap

• Raise the restraint so its top is roughly level with the top of your head.
• Keep the gap between the back of your head and the restraint fairly small.
• Ease your backrest upright if your head sits well forward of the restraint.
• Set the head restraint after your seat height and backrest angle.
• Break up longer drives and stretch your neck once you have parked.

‍