The steering wheel: ideally, the steering wheel should be positioned so that its centre is at the same height as your neck. We recommend you flex your arms and place both hands on the steering wheel in a quarter-to-three position. Your elbows should be at 90 degrees.
As a general rule you want to sit as low as possible with your legs straight, and your body is stretched out. This gives a nice low centre of gravity, the steering wheel is moved closer to your body, and the low seat base adds to the feeling of speed when you are driving.
Lean Back (A Little) The angle of your seat back should be a little greater than a perpendicular 90 degrees. At 100 to 110 degrees, the seat will put the least pressure on your back. Leaning too far back forces you to push your head and neck forward, which can cause neck and shoulder pain and tingling in the fingers.
There are two correct hand positions on a steering wheel: "9 and 3" and "8 and 4." These methods refer to visualizing the steering wheel as the face of a clock, and positioning the left hand at the 9 or 8 and the right hand at the 3 or 4 o'clock position.
You must keep both hands on the wheel at all times unless changing gears or indicating. It doesn't matter whether you're driving an automatic or a manual – the law is the same across Australia.
Experts at the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now recommend 9 and 3 — on opposite sides of the wheel halfway up — as the ideal steering wheel hand placement. The 9 and 3 steering wheel hand position maintains good control over the wheel while reducing the risk of injury from the airbag.
Even though you don't have your hands on the wheel, your automobile should still drive straight. If it begins to pull to the right or the left, your wheel alignment is bad and needs to be adjusted.
Several experts say hand-over-hand steering isn't the safest steering method for two main reasons. First, with hand-over-hand steering the driver's arm crosses over the center of the steering wheel where the airbag is located. In the event that airbag deploys, it could cause serious injury to the driver's arm.
The safest position in a car is to sit upright, like you would in a chair. Sit with your feet flat on the floor with your back resting against as much of the seat as possible. Car companies design airbags and other safety features under the assumption that all passengers will sit in an upright position.
If one corner of the car seems to sit low when it's parked, this is a sign of a damaged or broken spring. When driving, you'll notice a clunking sound when you go over bumps or turn. This is because the damaged or broken spring can't support the weight of the car.
Over time, if you don't get your vehicle aligned, the vibrations will get worse. This can compromise your ability to keep a good grip on your steering wheel and drive safely down the road. If your steering wheel doesn't stay straight and starts to vibrate when you drive, you need to get your tires aligned.
can typically turn between about 972 and 1152 degrees, or about 2.7 to 3.2 full rotations. The actual amount that your wheel can turn will depend on your car and the age of your vehicle. However, it's not recommended that you turn your steering wheel all the way.
Left hand-drive historic vehicles have been able to be registered in NSW since 1999. They can either be: conditionally registered under the Historic Vehicle Scheme (if only driven occasionally), or. fully registered with standard used vehicle registration (if driven more regularly).
Things You Should Know. Hold the wheel firmly with both hands at the “10-and-2” or “9-and-3” position. Turn the wheel in the direction you wish to turn with both hands. To steer in reverse, put your right arm around the passenger seat and your left hand at 12 o'clock on the steering wheel.
2. On straight roads, your hands should settle into an effective position on the steering wheel - 10 to 2 or quarter to 3, only tightening your grip when cornering or braking.
Lesson two – turning techniques
Use smooth, continuous steering wheel movements when approaching a turn and when returning (sliding) the wheel through the hands until the vehicle is in the proper post-turn position. When turning sharp corners, turn the steering wheel using the “hand-over-hand” technique.
Hand-over-hand steering is best for trickier situations, like driving at low speeds with limited visibility, parking, or recovering from a skid. With this method, the NHTSA says your left hand will grasp the steering wheel between 8 and 9, and your right hand will be positioned between 3 and 4.
The pull-push steering technique is ideal for when driving at low speeds and making big turns. To use this technique, simply pull the wheel down with one hand while pushing it up with the other hand, alternating as necessary. This technique allows for greater precision and control over the vehicle.
Hand-over-hand steering is appropriate when the speed of steering is critical, such as with skid recovery in a rear-wheel traction loss. Hand-to-hand steering is particularly well suited for precision maneuvers, steering through curves, intersection entry and exit, and front-wheel traction loss control (skidding).