Japanese and US Driver Body Shapes

Designing vehicles to be used in multiple markets is challenging in part due to differences in the body sizes across nations. Yet, little research has been published on national differences in body size, shape, and posture for vehicle occupants. We conducted a focused study comparing driving posture and body shape for Japanese and U.S. nationals. The U.S. data was drawn from a large-scale study of driver and passenger posture. We recruited Japanese nationals who had been resident in the US for less than one year and measured them in the same conditions. The results show small but significant differences in driving posture after accounting for body size. Body shape differences were more apparent. These results are valuable for companies designing vehicles for both markets.