How You Hold Your Steering Wheel Defines Your Driving Style
In between keeping your eyes on the road, fiddling between radio presets and daydreaming, have you ever thought about how you hold your steering wheel? We're taught to keep both hands at all times, maintain perfect posture and eyes on the road but over time, bad habits form. In fact, your very personality begins to affect your driving style, especially the way you hold the wheel. Let's look at a few steering wheel holds to see what it says about you:
1. The Safe Driver "9-and-3"
You're fresh behind the wheel and already feel your driving instructor is jotting down notes on you, passing judgment on every move, especially your hand positioning. Never a bad hold to maintain (in fact, always highly recommended at all times, even on a race track), but once you get a little more seat time, everyone tends to loosen up a bit.
2. The Old Safe Driver "10-and-2"
You might've learned how to drive in the '90s or earlier, which is probably because most people learned this was the correct way to drive in the first place. But as vehicles started to come equipped with more safety features (like airbags), the old way of driving '9 and 3' became less safe, mostly because of the way airbags deploy.
Don't worry, though, Conan O'Brien barely heard about this, too:
3. The Cool Kid (One Hand at the Top)
You enjoyed cruising down the street today because it was a good day (Anyone, anyone?). You also find it comfortable to recline your seat and stick your free arm or elbow out the open window. Looks "cool" but is totally unsafe. Your reaction time to any sudden possible accidents would be terrible.
4. The Lazy Driver (Hands at the Bottom)
You’re bored out of your mind and might as well have your hands in your lap at this point. If you have a passenger, they're most likely passed out already. Stay out of cruise mode, if you're trying to avoid this style. Alternative version: single handed method for the truly "no f___s given" driver.
5. The Drummer (Hands Constantly Tapping the Wheel)
You are one of two types: running late, begging for the traffic to move or you simply can’t contain yourself because the radio is playing your song! Ok, maybe a third: nervous/bad habit.
6. The Knee (Look, No Hands!)
You've always got your hands full. A cellphone, Big Mac, whatever it might be, you’ve learned to use your knee to steer, or at least keep it relatively straight. “Knee-d”-less to say, you “knee-d” to stay away from driving like this.
Need some driving tips? These Autobahn Etiquette Tips will make you a better driver wherever you are.
