Does your back ache after sitting behind the wheel for long? If so, you are amongst the vast majority of drivers and the chances are you’re not sitting or wearing your seatbelt correctly.

Worryingly, new figures suggest that most of us don’t wear our seatbelts in the way in which they were designed and safety-tested. A recent independently validated survey revealed that more than 90% of drivers don’t sit in the healthiest sitting position and most ‘wear’ their seat belts with slack in the belt, compromising safety. Being in a moving vehicle in this ‘slouched’ position puts strain on the supportive muscles of the lower back, often leading to back pain.

Several studies have found a link between driving and back problems with people who drive for a living being statistically more likely to suffer . Back pain affects an estimated four out of five UK adults (80%) at some point in life, costs the NHS more than £1.3 million per day and, together with neck and muscle pain, accounted for 31 million lost working days in the UK in 2013 .