10 and 2. Still Viable?

[Gil]

Okay, I was driving to work yesterday evening and saw a guy in a very nice older Lexus. He was talking on the phone and had his left hand draped over the top of the steering wheel (12 o'clock).

Being an OLD GUY who was taught to drive with hands at "10 and 2", but who has become better informed over the years, I found myself thinking, "If this guy takes a frontal impact, his freshly broken left arm is likely to break his nose."

For some of the younger drivers, is the "driver's ed" doctrine still 10 and 2, or have they amended it to take airbags into account?

"Older" drivers please feel free to chime in!

 

[ExigeEvan]

The UK uses, 10 and 2, with "shuttle"/"feeding" method to turn. So hands are always in contact with the steering wheel.

 

[buickgnx88]

I believe when I was in driver's ed, it was hands at 8 and 4 with shuttle (shuffle?) steering. However I generally either have my left hand at noon or 6 with my right hand on the shifter and use my palm to turn the wheel. Course I don't have an airbag so I'm not as worried about the position.

 

[nick09]

I was taught to put my hands in the 9 and 3 position. Though I do notice that I instinctively put my hands on 10 and 2 since my right arm would get tired in the 3 position. This is only because I'm 6"1' tall and my driver seat has to be pushed back all of the way to be in a good comfortable position.

Though personally I've seen my driver's ed teacher talk about the 9 and 3 position. He never really enforced it on the drivers when I took the course.

 

[astrosdude91]

In drivers ed, the instructor told me to have my hands at 10 and 2 with shuffle steering, but I always found shuffle steering to be stupid. They said that if I crashed while turning hand over hand, then when the airbag deploys I would punch myself in the face. But since the Ranger doesn't have airbags, I don't have to worry about that! So hand over hand for me! I usually have my right hand at 12, and my left hand hanging out the window, because I'm cool like that.

 

[Famine]

Okay, I was driving to work yesterday evening and saw a guy in a very nice older Lexus. He was talking on the phone and had his left hand draped over the top of the steering wheel (12 o'clock).

Being an OLD GUY who was taught to drive with hands at "10 and 2", but who has become better informed over the years, I found myself thinking, "If this guy takes a frontal impact, his freshly broken left arm is likely to break his nose."

For some of the younger drivers, is the "driver's ed" doctrine still 10 and 2, or have they amended it to take airbags into account?

"Older" drivers please feel free to chime in!

This driving style is known as "the cripple hook" and is used exclusively by lazy people, or those too "cool" to be required to be in control of their car at all times.

10 and 2 (or 9 and 3 if you're driving an Aston Martin Rapide) is not only the drivers' ed doctrine, it's the ADI mantra, the Roadcraft dictat (the one used by the people trained to drive at 155mph on our roads) and the only sensible way to roll.

 

[Glubags]

I'm more of a 9-3, hand-over-hand guy myself.

 

[Blackbird.]

This driving style is known as "the cripple hook" and is used exclusively by lazy people, or those too "cool" to be required to be in control of their car at all times.

Hmm, I guess everyone's opinion is different but I just find it to be more comfortable although I do drive 10 and 2 sometimes as well. I don't do it to "be cool" or anything like that. I also actually have my hand ON the wheel when I drive at 12 o' clock. I'm not however like these people that have their seats in the nearly horizontal position with only their left hand wrist laying atop the steering wheel with sunglasses on.

 

[CDailey]

I never took drivers ed, but the booklet I read before taking my license exam said 10 and 2. That said, I usually drive with my left hand at 7 with my right arm on the arm rest and my right hand on the shift knob, or my right hand at 5 with my left arm on the arm rest or my elbow on the door and my hand up near the roof if the window is down. When the weather is bad, my hands are usually at 7 and 5, sometimes 9 and 3.

 

[YSSMAN]

Normally I'm driving at 10 and 2, normally with just one hand on 10 and the other resting on my center console near the gearshift. Occasionally, I'll drop the left hand down to 8 and do most of the same thing.

 

[Jondot]

10 and 2. Although most of the time I'm just sort of... 2, with the other hand resting on the gearstick.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

We were told 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 on preference in driver's ed here.

Personally however, I hold the wheel somewhere between 7 and 9 with one hand for normal driving, then grab at 12 for most turns and pull down until whichever arm hits my leg, feeding up with the other. Palm the wheel in parking lots. I noticed I overcorrect the car a lot driving with two hands so... Although, if I start driving spiritedly I do go to 10 and 2 for the most part.

 

[Wardy 944]

9 and 3 for me, for obvious reasons, and hand over hand because the steering's too heavy to shuffle.

 

[Adamgp]

I usually have one hand at the 12 o'clock position, or one hand at the 6 o'clock position.

For turning I do the one handed "wax on, wax off" method.

 

[///M-Spec]

They were teaching 10 and 2 in my day. Most HPDE instructors teach 9 and 3 these days.

Shuffle steer, hand over hand or some variation or combination of the two I think really depends on the car, the discipline (road course, rally, auto-x, etc.) and individual style of the driver.

On the track, I put my hands at 9/3 and that's pretty much where they stay. That's because most road course turns don't often require that much lock. But at autocrosses, where turns are often more than 90 degrees, I use a variation of the shuffle technique that allows a cross handed grab that I learned from a Bryan Watts book.

I bet the 12' advocates ITT have never set foot on a track or autocross course.


M

 

[mafia_boy]

I'm a 10-2 or 9-3 type of guy.....but if I'm doing 20km/h down the main road cruising along then you might see the "cripple hook" come into play, along with putting the seat WAY back so I can feel "gangsta" for a minute but most of the time it's just normal driving position.

 

[Jim Prower]

I've been using 9 and 3 with the 200SX, (mostly just "9," as I keep having my hand on the shifter,) as it's most comfortable with Nissan's steering wheel. Haven't decided on hand over hand, shuffle, or "palming" the wheel. (usually with the hand on the shifter. /: ) The Nova was more comfy at 10 and 2, and I shuffled almost exclusively

I actually mocked a guy in a Ram hanging off the wheel like an ape on my way home this evening.

He didn't see me.

I'm thankful.

 

[WeinerSchnitzel]

5-7 when I'm just driving for a long time on a long road like 50. If I'm not, it's usually 10-2.

 

[JCE]

I answered 9/3 but really it is just 9. I always have my hand on the shift knob.

 

[Rykon Zero]

9 and 3, hand over hand.

Not that I'd know.

Although, simply wherever the wheel supports are. Sometimes 2 and 10, others at 3 and 9. Or, on a DS, 6.

 

[Small_Fryz]

9-3 shuffle is how the driving ed taught, i use 9-3 and shuffle or hand over hand, depends...

dad told me 10-2 when i was younger but i find 9-3 more comfortable anyway, and its how i hold my G25 and DFP for all those years.

 

[Joey D]

Either at 12 or 9, I almost always drive one handed. When I do drive two handed, like in bad weather or heavy traffic I do the 9 and 3.

 

[SRV2LOW4ME]

In drivers ed I was taught to keep my hands "on the wheel, stop waving at your friends".

When I drive now, its my left hand at 1 or my right hand at 12 with my body leaning over my middle arm rest because thats how gangsta's roll dawg!

 

[Eric.]

Driving fast, I think I do 9 and 3. Maybe more like 9:30 and 2:30. But if I'm just going down the highway, typically I'll just have my left hand on the wheel, and that can be anywhere that seems comfortable at the time. I'll change between 9, 10ish, 12. Sometimes low on the wheel. And in town its usually left hand at 12, right hand busy shifting.


And hand over hand, usually. But a lot of the time I'll keep my left hand in one spot on the wheel and palm it, for slow turns of course.

 

[skynyrd]

Depends on the car, but it's usually hand over hand at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2, depending on the design of the steering wheel. In cars that aren't automatics, when going up through the gears I tend to have my one hand at about 10, maybe 10:30 while the other rests on the shifter. When I get to the desired speed, it's back to 9 and 3.

In parking lots or other very low speed areas, it's one hand at 12 and one on the shifter, moving the steering wheel with the palm of my hand. Low speed corners are the same.

My older sister always drove at 11 and 1, seated as far back from the wheel as she could get...I don't see how she could stand it.

 

[TheBook]

I'm kind of all over the place.

Driving spiritedly, I'm usually at 10 and 2, using hand-over-hand steering. Around town, I'm usually at 8 and 4 or just 8 with one arm resting on the shift lever. On the highway, it's wherever it feels comfortable. Left hand, right hand, both hands, it doesn't matter. I never drive with my knees, though.

 

[nobuffalo]

I honestly don't know which one i'm doing, maybe a little bit of everything?



Hghway driving is 2:30 and out the window.

 

[Boz Mon]

Usually one hand at either 3, 6, or 9. Depends on where I am (city or highway), and if I am accelerating or cruising.

 

[Northstar]

I was taught 8&4 in drivers ed as apparently 10&2 can break your wrists in a crash(not sure if this is true though). I normally switch between 8&4 and 9&3 though depending on where I'm driving.

 

[Gil]

My thought process is simply this. If an airbag can KILL a child, it can very likely break my arm.
I tend to hand over hand, or shuttle/shuffle steer, depending on which vehicle I'm driving and the number of turns lock to lock.
I'm also opposed to hooking my thumbs thru the wheel, but if I'm driving one of the Fords or Mazda's I'll have them on the wheel so I can more easily work the cruise control and stereo.