Driving Vertically Challenged

There are a number of things that make driving difficult when you’re only five feet tall.

First problem: the looks I get. I pull up to an intersection and someone looks at me like I have five heads. Yes, I know my head just barely peaks above the dashboard. Just last week I went into Stewart’s to pay for gas and the cashier asks, “Was that you driving??? You look ten!” I’m seventeen. But thanks lady, you really brightened my day.

The car itself poses a problem too. Whenever someone other than myself drives my car they give me grief for how far forward my seat is. Sorry you hit your knee, but my feet don’t reach the pedals otherwise. Needless to say, when I drive in a car with hydraulic seat adjustments, I’m in heaven. Another disadvantage of being a short driver is having to be so close to the steering wheel. I’m afraid that if the air bag deployed, I’d break every bone in my body. And those times of day when the sun blinds you, does my visor help? Nope. Those are made for people whose heads are much higher up than mine. So I have to drive essentially blind. What a treat. Being so short also gives me a lot more blind spots than the average person, which can be pretty unsettling. I have to crane my neck to see anywhere but forward.

Long story short, people have always told me that some day I’ll be grateful for looking so small and young. When it comes to driving however, I don’t think being the size of a sixth grader will ever be an advantage.