It seems to be strange but most drivers do not hold the steering wheel properly. There are a number of basic mistakes and bad habits that can lead to bad results when there is a problem on the road.
A good posture at the wheel is believed to be the basis of driving, and everything else is secondary. Take the wheel with one hand, put both hands too close to each other, put your hand inside the steering wheel … all these errors lead to an emergency situation.
The first thing to do is to sit down correctly, with a relatively straight back and in such a way that the leg remains bent when the clutch pedal is completely squeezed out. Excessive distance will make it easy to lose control and there will not be enough strength to maneuver, while if you sit too close to the steering wheel, you will lose space to be able to maneuver.
How to hold the steering wheel properly
The hands should always be kept as far away from each other as possible to ensure the maximum range of movement, since they behave like weights on a scale. If you hold them close to each other or asymmetrically, this will lead to an imbalance, and you can even involuntarily turn the steering wheel.
On the other hand, getting your hand inside the steering wheel or in an unnatural position will make it impossible to correct a mistake or avoid a collision with a pedestrian in the case of an unforeseen event.
Golden rules:
- Keep your hands as far away from each other as possible on the steering wheel.
- The hands are prepared before the start of the turn and remain in this position throughout the entire turn.
- For very sharp turns that require turning the steering wheel more than half a turn, it is necessary to raise your hand to where the turn is located and raise it to a higher position, at most until 12.00 o’clock by an imaginary clock. This hand will pull the steering wheel, and the other hand will be the support at the opposite end.
- Do not put your hand inside the steering wheel.
- Do not bring both hands together.
- Do not hold the steering wheel with your thumbs on your knees.
- Do not lower your hands below the equator of the steering wheel, always from the equator to the top.