Driver's License Test Prep
Pennsylvania Practice Vehicle Equipment

How does the manual say you should adjust your head restraint?

  1. A.
    So the top rests just above your shoulders
  2. B.
    So the top is at least as high as the top of your ears Correct
  3. C.
    So the top sits level with the base of your skull
  4. D.
    So the top lines up with the middle of your ears
The Why

The answer is "So the top is at least as high as the top of your ears"

The head restraint protects against neck injury only when its top sits at least as high as the top of your ears. A driver who learned the landmark as the middle of the ears, rather than the top edge, picks the midpoint answer instead.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

A. So the top rests just above your shoulders

Shoulder height is well below the manual's line, which uses the ears as the landmark. This answer reads the top of the seatback as the reference point, ignoring the ear-based rule.

C. So the top sits level with the base of your skull

That setting is too low to cushion the head in a rear-end crash. This answer confuses the restraint's required height with the base-of-skull spot it is meant to cushion.

D. So the top lines up with the middle of your ears

The manual calls for the top of the ears, not the midpoint. This answer splits the ear as a landmark, blurring a rule that names the top edge specifically.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Vehicle Equipment in Pennsylvania. Source: Pennsylvania Driver Manual, "Chapter 3 - Learning to Drive, Vehicle Checks: Preparing to Drive - Adjust head restraints," p.31..

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