An exhausted TikToker recently posted a video of himself on his way home from work, celebrating those little things that can make your life easier after a long day on the job. TikToker @aesthetic.rico was behind the wheel of his vehicle and calmly listening to music in the short clip.
“Ain’t nothing like the comfort of driving an automatic after a long day,” he wrote in the text that appeared over the video. In the caption, he celebrated the car’s additional comforts, especially that heated seat.
The Oct. 15 video quickly went viral, amassing more than half a million views as of the time of publication. Some of those people also popped into the comments, leaving more than 12,000 comments about the video.
But it wasn’t the celebration of the end of a long day of work that prompted such a strong reaction to the video. Instead, it was how unbelievably close to the steering wheel the driver was sitting, with some people saying they were worried for Rico’s safety.
People Criticized How Far up Rico’s Seat Was
@aesthetic.rico Heated seats on, feeling RELAXED 😎 #foryou #driving #cartok #explore ♬ How Deep Is Your Love – WITH U & Merlin
The nice thing about adjustable seats is that you can move them wherever you need to so that you can feel comfortable while behind the wheel. For tall people, that may mean pushing the seat further back. However, it looked like Rico wasn’t too worried about his legroom, since he was sitting close enough to the car’s dashboard that the steering wheel appeared to be touching his lap.
“You’re closer to the steering wheel than I am to my father,” one person joked.
“He arrives 10 minutes before his car does,” another added.
Some Worried About His Safety
Rico’s proximity to the steering wheel wasn’t just funny-looking and some people said that it raised some serious concerns about safety. Of course, they brought these worries to Rico’s attention with a bit of humor.
“Airbags gonna feel like a 50 caliber,” one commenter wrote.
“If that airbag goes off, you’re going back to 1994,” another agreed.
“Airbag gonna go through you, brother,” a third person posted. “Back it up.”
There Are Risks Associated With Being Too Close to the Steering Wheel
While a lot of the comments on the video were very funny, the underlying safety concerns were spot on. According to the Biren Law Group, there are plenty of hidden dangers when it comes to sitting too close to the steering wheel. That’s because a steering wheel airbag can produce forces of nearly 2,000 pounds and expand at nearly 200 miles per hour.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers should make sure their seat is moved back far enough to give them at least 10 inches of space between themselves and the steering wheel.
Additionally, drivers should make sure that their steering wheel is tilted down to avoid having an airbag deploy directly into the neck or face.
Of course, this could all be challenging for some drivers, especially those who are on the shorter side. For these drivers, the best option is to move your seat back as far as you comfortably can while still being able to reach your vehicle’s controls.