’Ten minutes to two’ is no longer up-to-date

During your driving lessons, your instructor probably taught you to hold the steering wheel in the ten-to-two position, a reference to the time displayed on an analogue clock. That view is now outdated. 

With your hands in this position, your vehicle control is not optimal. In the event of an accident, the risk of injury increases with your hands at ’10 to 2’. This latter point is mainly due to the airbag, which every modern car is equipped with. Those who want to be up-to-date, therefore, prefer to keep their hands in the quarter-to-three position. By placing your hands as far apart as possible, which you do with this position, you have maximum vehicle control.

Hand on the steering wheel

You also see a lot of people with only one hand on the steering wheel. Especially drivers of manual cars often have their right hand constantly on the gearstick. This is an utterly dangerous habit. You should really only take your hand off the steering wheel to change gears. You also sometimes see people driving with both hands on top of or right at the bottom of the steering wheel. This is possibly even more dangerous than driving with one hand, as you have minimal control this way. Another dangerous habit is placing your hands on the hub or spokes of the steering wheel. This ‘lazy’ way of driving may be comfortable, but it slows down your reaction times when you need to anticipate an unexpected situation.

Quarter to three

For maximum vehicle control and safety, position your hands at ‘quarter to three’, which is not a significant change from what you learned during your driving lessons. This is the safest way to drive, especially in modern cars with relatively small steering wheels, power steering, and airbags.

Is your hand position on the steering wheel still up-to-date? Or are you still driving with your hands at ’ten to two’? If so, will you be changing that after reading this article? A Car hire in the Urmond region can at Adrem Car Rental!