Comments on: Holding the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock is no longer recommended

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:34:00 +0000

If it completes the picture a bit better, keep in mind that I’m an average height, below average weight USian lady. The clutch being heavy wasn’t nearly as problematic as turning that damned steering wheel at 0 mph. Electrical wasn’t as bad as the poor quality sheet metal the body was made from. It was rather annoying that there was more than a mile of wire in that car, though.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:55:00 +0000

Oooohhhh….heavens, you are right! My preferred position is 6:30, followed by 9, followed by 9 & 3, but I learned to drive in the prehistoric years with large steering wheels and no power assist, so when I turn, I still instinctively cross over the top. Thank you. I will pay more attention from now on and break myself of that habit.

By: Marcus 9000

Marcus 9000 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:01:00 +0000

I’d guess a large proportion of the morgue visitors were unrestrained.

By: Marcus 9000

Marcus 9000 — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Yeah sure, read this and think about it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21050605

By: Greg Ercolano

Greg Ercolano — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Left hand 10, right knee 4, right hand around the passenger seat for my “gangsta lean”..

By: Matthew Anderson

Matthew Anderson — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:45:00 +0000

left at 2 and right at 3 or vice versa? either way that sounds awkward…

By: invictus

invictus — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:25:00 +0000

News at 11.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Is that an onion on your belt?

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:16:00 +0000

Looks like another reason to disconnect the steering wheel airbag to me.

Yeah, you can just replace them with hydrogen filled balloons to cushion you in the event of a crash.

I worked in a hospital during the era of driver-side-only airbags. The drivers came to us, the passengers to the morgue.

By: Gyrofrog

Gyrofrog — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Amber?

By: Churba S

Churba S — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:30:00 +0000

Oh man, I didn’t own a 280Z, but my father owned an old 260Z, It’s the car I learned to drive in. Another mate from after we all had our licenses owned a 280Z – God, they were wonderful machines. Except the wiring harness, which was apparently designed by a small amazonian monkey dropping frequent hits of acid. The first car I ever owned and bought with my own money? A Leyland Mini Clubman in Electric blue with a tuned up 1275 racing engine. Good lord, that thing was a fucking rocket.

I don’t have much trouble Parallel parking the Van (or the 2xxZ series, for the most part), but I don’t know why that is – and most of the trouble with the van is that it’s like trying to parallel park a small apartment building for relative size. Probably just practice and technique, I guess, the majority of cars I’ve driven haven’t had power steering.

By: Churba S

Churba S — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:24:00 +0000

Dude, if I could steer a car with my prehensile dick, I’d be in a good mood all the time too.

By: dabble53

dabble53 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:56:00 +0000

Just like how all the rest of your body sags and lowers as it ages :)

By: artbyjcm

artbyjcm — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:56:00 +0000

I actually mentioned “10 and 2″ to a friend of mine, and she said “What’s that?” and I said “Oh, it’s where they tell people to hold the wheel, but I hold it way lower so my arms don’t hit me if the airbag goes off.” and the concept of holding the wheel up so high seemed downright foreign to her. After that I started asking my other friends about 10 and 2, and none of them, besides one friend of mine had ever even heard of it.

10 and 2 though, is a bad idea on so many levels. I see people do it all the time too.

By: GregS

GregS — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:23:00 +0000

I drive with my hands at 9 and 3, but that’s because my car is so ancient that it doesn’t have airbags, so I’m not worried about having my thumbs broken or my finger thrust into my eyesocket by the airbag in case of an accident. My policy, instead, is to try to drive carefully to avoid accidents.

By: CLamb

CLamb — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:25:00 +0000

At the end of your left leg. If you look inside your sock just below the ankle you should be able to locate it. You might have to take a shoe off first.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:22:00 +0000

You have a weird way of thinking about right/left in this instance. To make the car go left while your hands are in 8 & 4, you must be thinking that you need to move your right hand upwards (with only the slightest sense of “moving right”) instead of pulling down on the steering wheel exactly the same way you do to turn right when your hands are at 10 & 2. The movement of both hands is identical no matter where they are on the steering wheel (unless you do something stupid like criss-cross them). Even if the steering wheel is fully horizontal, such as on a bus.

By: V

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:49:00 +0000

An easy reference guide…

By: Gavin Davies

Gavin Davies — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:31:00 +0000

I don’t agree, I’m going to stick with the 2 and 10 o’clock position. As if you need to make a sudden menova you can respond quicker. I think by reducing the risk of an accident by driving correctly will be more beneficial.

By: Ashley Coats

Ashley Coats — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:24:00 +0000

Yeah I’m totally punching myself in the face if the airbags go off. I tend to end up with my hand upside down on 12 and the other at 6 when cruising. I should probably correct that.

By: Ken.C

Ken.C — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:21:00 +0000

Rarely under 150? You don’t watch a lot of racing, do you? I think the key here is that race cars do not have airbags, and the drivers wear safety equipment and 5 point harnesses. The cars are also designed to be incredibly safe-far more than a road driver would tolerate.

By: anon909

anon909 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Hands at the top- move them right, car turns right.
Hands at the bottom- move them right, car turns left.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:05:00 +0000

On impact, there’s something blocking your car from being able to manoever out of the situation. Like, another car or a tree or a truck. That’s kind of the definition of the word “impact”. Something has just stopped your car by coming in direct contact with it.

Airbags only deploy at a certain speed. Hitting bumpers at 15 mph doesn’t cause them to deploy.

By: chgoliz

chgoliz — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:01:00 +0000

If the first couple of times a driver makes a turn using this new style, they are going so quickly or otherwise are sufficiently out of control that they create that much error, then they are probably no stranger to causing accidents anyway.

Besides, the hand movements (left/right) are the same, so the “swerve” isn’t in the opposite direction. Which makes me wonder about your driving skills.

By: duncancreamer

duncancreamer — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:58:00 +0000

I’m 40, but I was taught 9/3 when I was 15. They made a point of explains this was a change and that our folks and older friends might try to tell us it was wrong.

By: Ari B.

Ari B. — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:58:00 +0000

From what I remember of my EMT training, 10 and 2 is a good way to have the airbag deploy and break your arms by smashing them into your face.

By: duncancreamer

duncancreamer — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:55:00 +0000

The problem comes in a turn and that is where most airbag releasing accidents happen. With your hands at10/2, your more likely to have an arm in front of the airbag when pulling the wheel around and then this pushes your arm or hand straight back, often breaking your nose.

By: oasisob1

oasisob1 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:49:00 +0000

I think the auto manufacturers are planning to modify our steering wheels in the next few car generations, and they just want us to be ready…

http://www.ram-controls.com/images/XXX-SWYOKEFINAL01-XXX.JPG

By: s2redux

s2redux — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:47:00 +0000

Wait for the story he tells when he encounters a pipe-smoker whose airbag deployed…

By: Loren Pechtel

Loren Pechtel — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:45:00 +0000

I switched from the 10 & 2 we were taught to 8 & 4 very quickly because I find 10 & 2 very tiring. I never found the slightest merit to 10 & 2 although I could see it being advantageous for someone with weak arms and no power steering.