Learning to drive is a rite of passage; the beginning of independence and the end of having to ask parents for a lift. Once you’ve got your licence and you’re on the road, the world – or the distance your 12 year old Peugeot will get you – is your oyster. But when you are a short girl, there are certain driving struggles that can make owning a car a bit of a hassle.
Pumping the seat up as high as possible
It can be extremely hard finding a car to ‘fit you’ when you’re a short girl. Believe it or not, not all cars come with the ability to pump the seat up to oblivion. If, as a short girl, you want to be able to see the road at all, the seat needs to be pumped up as high as it’ll go – or you aren’t going anywhere. Then there comes the problem of being so high up that your legs can only just reach the pedals, and you have to consider getting pedal extensions.
Only just being able to see over the steering wheel
Even when the seat is pumped up as high as it’ll go, and you’ve adjusted your steering wheel so it is now lower down and no longer eye-level, there are still occasions when you’ll need some extra height to be able to completely see whats on the road. This means having to use all your body strength to pull yourself up a little higher, in order to carry out manoeuvres such as the parallel park, or, you know, just driving around a tight bend without clipping the curb.
Being blinded because the visor doesn’t do its job
Everyone finds it hard to drive with the dreaded, low-in-the-sky winter sun blazing into the eyes. Fortunately, most average-sized people are able to block the rays out with the trusty sun visor provided. Not short girls though. When you’re petite, the sun visor just doesn’t do its job. Instead, the sun rays shine straight into the eyes, ridding you of your sight, and forcing you to have to use your hand to block out the burning sun. Pretty sure short people are the reason sun-visor extensions exist.
Pulling the seat as far forward as it will go
Unless you’ve got extremely long legs for your petite body, as a short girl, you’ll need to have the seat positioned as far forward as physically possible. This can create all sorts of uncomfortable problems when driving, such as knocking your knees on the underneath of the steering wheeling, having your belly touch the steering wheel and, of course, average-height people making fun of you (#shortgirlproblems).
Standing on a stall to wash the car
If you’ve every wondered why a petite girl’s car is so dirty, it’s probably because she can’t be bothered to wash it. Washing your car is a daily struggle when you’re short, because, although the windows and wheels are within easy reach, getting to the roof is a whole different story. You’ll either constantly have a filthy car roof, or have to stand on a stall to wash it – which, let’s be honest, doesnt make life much easier. You still have to stand on tip toes to reach, end up getting soaking wet and wonder why you didn’t just go to the car wash in the first place.
Not being able to share the car with anyone else
Getting your car seat into a comfortable position that you are happy with, is quite possibly the most challenging task you must undertake as a short girl. Having someone taller undo this precise positioning, is quite possibly the most annoying thing that can happen to a short girl. This is what makes sharing a car with anyone (that isn’t the same size as your half-pint self) so troublesome. If you love her, leave her seat alone.