Hand positioning
Submitted: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 19:25
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SDG
A Current Affair just had a story about older drivers, which i'm sur a few others saw.
During this story it mentioned that the older drivers were taught to have their hands on the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 position. As far as I knew this was normal. BUT, apparently with the newer cars we should be driving at the 9 and 3 position. Any ideas why the change? I missed what was said about why. (kids talking)
Anybody know when this changed, and what is classified as a newer car.
Reply By: snoopyone - Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 21:03
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 21:03
Never mind getting your thumbs blown off.
Its the airheads that insist on travelling with their feet on the dash that get me.
Are they closer to the monkeys or something.
They will be if an airbag goes off and stuff their knees just past their ears.
I read an article once by a trauma doctor who said this is quite common in accidents and in some cases has shoved the ankles up past their knees and crushed the chest on the way.
Not a partcularly nice thought..
Was always taught to drive with thumbs outside the wheel especially on tractors and off road vehicles
AnswerID:
454759
Follow Up By: ob - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 11:02
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 11:02
Ain't
Darwin's Theory of Evolution wonderful. Slows the dumbing down of the species.
ob
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Reply By: Holiday Maker - Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 21:39
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 21:39
Hi All,
As a professional driving instructor I believe I may be able to to give a little insight to this question.
JohnBee is partially correct, it does assist in the operation of the indicators correctly. However, not all wiper systems are up/down.
I have never heard of "blowing he thumbs off" however, it is due to the correct operation of the air bags.
If you wear any jewellry, or a wrist watch, chances are if you are involved in an accident that the air bags go off, you will be wearing the said items on your face.
For the record, another common falicy I get told every day is that "You are not allowed to cross your arms!"
The problem with this instruction is that MOST people giving this advice do not know the difference between, :Crossing Arms" and "Overarming."
Consequently we have a lot of drivers incorrectly using the push/pull steering method in a dangerous manner.
Dusty
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Member - Tony V (NSW) - Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 22:36
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 22:36
Hmmm,
Back in 1970 when I took my
test in the UK it was 9 and 3 on the steering wheel, I was also taught to push pull, a habit I still have. I was told back then it was for indicators and wipers, (remember when they had
the horn at the end of the light stalk)... This was to put your hands where the controls were.
Hand position can cause tiredness, if the hands are higher than the heart, your body spends time pumping to the hands not the brain.
You quite often see the results of this with a P plater laying back in the
seat hardly seeing over the steering wheel, the first thing is its one hand at the top of the wheel, and either leaning into the door or centre console, usually late at night when tired, the next thing you see, is it wrapped around a telegraph post...
Airbags are a minor cause of concern, depending where the front wheels are pointing your hands could be in the way of the airbag.
I did see a hand and wrist smash into the windscreen when an airbag went off in a Magna, I have the photos as the Magna hit my 100 (wife driving).
My 2 cents worth.
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Follow Up By: AlanTH - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 11:26
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 11:26
"Back in 1970 when I took my
test in the UK it was 9 and 3 on the steering wheel, I was also taught to push pull, a habit I still have."
You and me both Tony, but I was told by a sergeant traffic cop who partially taught me that it was for control of the vehicle.
Whatever, I still drive like that unlike many on the roads who steer with finger tips or a wrist draped over the wheel while they lounge in the corner of the
seat.
Seems as if that is a favourite driving position of WAs finest as
well!
I often wonder if the bad steering position is the reason so many drivers can't control their vehicle in emergency situations and run off the road, especially in the country.
AlanH.
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 17:10
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 17:10
Gee, last time I saw a telegraph post was when I drove to
Cape York in 2004.
Telegraph posts have not been used in this country for many decades.
I think you might find that all those whiz-bang WRX Subarus that get themselves 're-arranged' are generally wrapped around an ELECTRICITY pole.... ;-)
Roachie
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce Y (Vic) - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:14
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:14
Roachie, I see your from SA so wouldn't it be a stobie pole???
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 21:04
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 21:04
Bruce, I'm an expat of NSW....only been over here since 2002....so I still refer to them as "electricity poles".
My old man (RIP) used to get the chits with TV announcers when they called power poles "telegraph poles"....he had been a linesman for the Murrumbidgee County Council (Narrandera) for many years....he taught us kids to NOT refer to them as telegraph poles.
Roachie
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce Y (Vic) - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 21:29
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 21:29
Roachie I was only joking with you, Yes the only
places as a kid we would see telegraph poles were alongside railway lines but you only see the odd disused ones now, the references we use are power poles or light poles (depending on wether there is a light attached) but in SA they have their poles with concrete between two steel beams called stobie poles. When an item was printed about an accident involving a stobie pole you could pick the people from other states by their head scratching and questions along the lines of "What the hell is a stobie pole". Hence when I seen SA beside your name I thought I'd ask...
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Follow Up By: Roachie.kadina.sa.au - Friday, May 20, 2011 at 20:00
Friday, May 20, 2011 at 20:00
Yeh mate....I knew you were having a joke with me...
I actually knew what a stobie pole was before I came to live in SA....had been here a few times on holidays over the years and picked up the unusual name.
I tell you what....a late model vehicle is no match for a stobie pole.....they aren't any softer than the timber poles used in other states that's for sure!!! hahaha
Cheers mate
Roachie
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Reply By: LineB - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 00:34
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 00:34
Gee. Lots of different ideas posted about how you rest your hands on the wheel. To my mind, none of it has whit to do with air bags, more to do with not having any power steering at all.
When I was enjoying myself driving a Blitzwagon carting 17-tons across the French Line in 1963, my mechanics advised, to avoid the kick-back and lose a thumb on the next big jolt, I should keep my fingers only inside the ring of the steering wheel. Very much so, thumbs outside.
For those drivers low on basics, keeping your thumbs outside the rim must look curious around the suburbs, but that is the way I get around these days, too. 10 to 2 for me, SDG.
www.simpsondesert.fl.net.au
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Follow Up By: Ianw - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:51
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:51
Used to drive the ol mans tractor as a 12 year old. You learned very quickly to keep the thumbs outside of the wheel if you drove a Massey Ferguson 65. Steering wheel was very close to the throttle lever; hit a stump or stone the steering wheel would rotate violently and jamb said thumb between the two. Very painful !
Ian
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Reply By: Danger Mouse - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 12:16
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 12:16
I'd question the airbag reason for 2 reasons:
1. Australian Airbags do not deploy at anywhere near the force or velocity of US airbags, as in the US Airbags are required as a primary restraint because
seat belts are not mandatory in many states. In Oz, however, where
seat belts are required by law, airbags are a supplementary restraint (hence the moniker 'SRS Airbags' which means Supplementary Restraint System). Thus any injury caused by the airbag deployment in Australia will be less than that in the US.
2. I recall Mythbusters doing a show on this subject and they busted the myth that airbags could "rip your thumbs off". Not sure how much I believe Mythbusters, but an interesting tidbit.
FWIW, even at 10 to 2, the force of the airbag is more likely to fling your arms up and away, rather than directly back into your face.
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Follow Up By: snoopyone - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 17:33
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 17:33
They will however stuff your knees into your face if feet are on the dash in front of them.
It was an Australian doctor I was referring to.
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Reply By: Ianw - Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:31
Thursday, May 19, 2011 at 20:31
This question was posed on Eddies Millionaire Hot
Seat program just last week !!
I got it wrong cos I said 10 to 2. It wasnt even an option in the answers.
Correct answer was given as "quarter to three" as that is where the indicator and wiper controls are.
Recommended by some road saftey mob, apparently.
Must be correct as Eddie said so !!
Ian
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