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"For complete car control 9-3 or 10-2 anything else you are not prepared for instant emergency course correction."
If I hold the wheel like that, my hands will be numb in 15 minutes or less. Plus, I will have a severe ache in my upper back. I will be completely unable to make an "instant emergency course correction".
But then, I have been driving since 1958, and have rarely, if ever, had to make such an "emergency" move. Thinking back, I don't remember any. The way some people talk about it, though, it seems like it happens to them every time they hit the road!
that just can't be so...
I wonder how race car drivers hold the wheel like that, and operate a 6 speed manual transmission at high speeds?
I guess you have never driving a race car have you? I drive my six speed every day and when I am on the highway, like the OP questioned I normally have my hands on those positions. Certainly there are plenty of times when you can relax and change positions but that was not the question the OP asked.
False. Just, false. I've been on the track with one hand on the wheel and one on the shifter, as you shift so often and have never lost control using one hand. That same hand can control the car in emergency situations (which, if you're paying attention, won't sneak up on you anyhow because you won't be in a position to BE surprised by anything) when driving normally and can definitely be in full control in normal driving.
Some cars have stiffer steering and so need two hands for precise control in cornering. Some have much easier steering and can be driven easily with two fingers...
I've never lost control on the highway in 40 years of driving, even with just one hand on the wheel, in hundreds of different kinds of cars.
That being said, look t my previous post for how I typically drive in my daily driver.
Unless you have a third hand of course you have one hand on the wheel and one on the shifter when on a track that requires a lot of shifting.
I have thousands of track miles and of course my hand is on the shifter most of the time but I always go back to two hands when I don't need to shift.
Depends which vehicle I'm driving, if its the suburban with its rather slack wooly feeling steering I use both hands. When I'm driving my Audi or Mercedes the steering is much more responsive, stiffer if you will so I usually drive with only one hand on the wheel.
Hubby and I roadtripped this summer we covered 5,000 miles most of those highway miles in his BMW, my hand was mostly at 7 oclock even while cruising at 80mph through South Dakota and Wyoming.
While on highway what position do you hold the steering wheel? What do you like about your position?
Depends on speed, terrain, visibility, weather, traffic.
If it is a long drive I may start out with both hands at 9 and 3 o'clock position, but slack off to left hand only with elbow resting on the side bolster. Right hand behind the passenger side headrest if I am driving alone....
Unless you have a sports steering wheel for endurance driving you should rest your left elbow and keep your hand at the 7-8 o'clock position. Right hand on 5 o'clock sometimes to give you left arm a break.
2 hand driving on highway is not really necessary. Anyone that can drive manual can attest to that.
I personally think the distance away from the steering wheel is more relevant to controlling the vehicle. How those people who sit right on top of the wheel with their noses pressed against the windshield manage to drive at all is beyond me. The same goes for the low riders who have their seats reclined so they can barely see over the wheel let lone the rear or side mirrors.
DIL drives with her seat all the way forward, the pedals extended as far out as they will go, I asked her why she doesn't sit back a bit and she stated that when she was learning to drive she was told to find a position she finds comfortable and that was it. The safety aspect of sitting point blank from an air bag isn't even a factor for her she feels unless shes sitting that close she can't control the vehicle.
It seems in So.Cal. that most of the people have their left knee at 7 o'clock and their right knee at 5 o'clock so they can keep their hands free for their personal needs
Two schools of thought are prevalent when talking about positioning of hands on the steering wheel. The old school wisdom was to position hands at 10 and 2 o’clock. As air bags became common, this led to the wrist and arm factures when air bags deployed and arms were flung into rearview mirrors or A-pillars. To avoid that occurrence, many safety advocates now recommend positioning hands at 9 and 3 o’clock on the steering wheel - See more at: Teaching a Teen to Drive | Developing Your Teens Skills | Steering Wheel Hand Position | State Farm
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