You Are Driving Wrong - Part II - Steering Methods

In the Part I - Hand Placement of the You Are Driving Wrong series, I discussed where your hands should be placed (9 and 3, not 10 and 2) [link]. This follow up is about 3 steering methods and when to use each type. I'm going to summarize what is on the NHTSA document about Using Efficient Steering Techniques [PDF].

Push/pull Steering - Preferred method

• Left hand is between 7 and 8 o’clock, right hand between 4 and 5 o’clock.

• Depending on the direction of the turn, right or left hand pushes the wheel up and the opposite hand slides up, and pulls down.

• Pulling hand moves down, the other hand returns to the its original position.

• Reverse the process to bring the vehicle back to the desired path.
• Hands never cross over the steering wheel, so there is less chance of an injury to the face, hands or arms from an air bag in the event of a crash.

Hand-over-Hand Steering:

• Use when turning at low speeds with limited visibility at an intersection, when parking, or recovering from a skid.
• Left hand grasps the wheel between 8 and 9 o’clock and right hand between 3 and 4 o’clock.

• Depending on the direction of the turn, use the right top third of the wheel to move it to the right and use the left top third of the wheel to move it to the left.

• One hand grasps the wheel and pushes up, the opposite hand lets go, reaches across the other arm, grasps the wheel and pulls the wheel up, over and down.

• As wheel is pulled up, the hand that initiated the pushing motion releases the wheel and returns to its original position.
• Simply reverse the hand-over-hand process to bring the vehicle into your intended path. 

One Hand Steering:

• Use one hand steering when backing or operating vehicle controls (wipers, flashers, lights, etc).
• The placement of one hand on the steering wheel is critical to vehicle balance, steering reversals, and potential injury.
• When reaching for an operating control,  keep the other hand in the normal position of 8-9 o’clock or 3-4 o’clock, depending on steering wheel design.
• One hand at 12 o’clock is only recommended when backing up and the driver turns in the seat in order to see to the rear.
• The way the wheel is turned when backing is the direction the vehicle will move to the rear. 

You Are Driving Wrong - Part I - Hand Placement

I'm not a golfer, but after spending so much time with my grandfather as his caddy and what he taught me about driving, I would be remiss to not share "how times change." Under his tutelage, I learned what a driver was to a golfer, but also what a driver (of a vehicle) was as a person. As I prepare to become a mentor to a driver in a few years, I decided to do some "research" about tutoring them. I discovered that I have a lot to teach, but that I'm also doing it wrong myself. I'll cover the point of my entry first, and then add my personal comments.

"Back in the day," I was taught to put my hands at 10 and 2. Meaning, one hand at 10 o'clock and the other at 2 o'clock. It worked with the steering wheel in front of me that would get me home safely every night. But guess what....times changes. Why? Mainly because steering wheels have changed. Now, I need to put my hands at 9 and 3, as explained in a National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) document [PDF]. I suggest you download the document and share it with anyone that you are mentoring behind the wheel.

Image from the MSNBC report site

Okay, your question is "why," but that is because times changes, so have steering wheels. Most steering wheels now contain air bags that deploy when you are in an accident. If it deploys and your hands are at 10 & 2, your arms will be blocking the safety of the bag and they will be forced backwards towards your head. According to a report on MSNBC, the bags inflate at a speed of 150-250 mph. And to quote the report:

Among the injuries the NHTSA reports from improper placement of the hands when an airbag deploys are amputations of fingers or entire hands, traumatic fractures and a particularly stomach-churning injury called "degloving," which — trust us — you definitely don't want to look up.

The bag can also slam your hands directly into your head, causing broken noses and concussions.

Yeah, I'm thinking I don't want to run the risk of any of that happening to my arms and hands. Being in an accident isn't always because YOU did something wrong, it could happen because SOMEONE ELSE caused it. So, in trying to look out for myself, I'm going to start moving my hands to the 9 and 3 position instead of the "old skool" 10 and 2. Not to mention that I've already had a TBI (see related links on the Misc / Brain Dump page) and do NOT want to cause a concussion.

In preparing to mentor a future driver, I've learned some things myself... In fact, Part II of this series will be about how to turn the wheel. Yeah, that's changed too.