How You Hold Your Steering Wheel Could Cause An Accident
If
you’re a driver over age 30, you’re more likely to be badly injured in
an auto accident. Why? Because of the way you hold the steering wheel!
For decades, drivers were trained to hold the wheel at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions, because it increased control, and made turns easier, but following that rule today could turn a fender-bender into a gory accident. That’s because 10 and 2 o’clock puts your arms above the plastic cover that holds your car’s airbag. And since airbags deploy at 250 miles an hour, close impact can do serious damage.
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, improper hand placement during airbag deployment can cause fractures, and amputated hands and a traumatic injury called degloving, which basically rips all the skin off your hands.
Dallas police sergeant and driving injury expert Paul Hinton recommends the “parallel position” – basically, putting your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock, which keeps your arms out of the line of fire. It also gives you more control of your car, because it lowers your center of gravity, and reduces excessive steering wheel movement.
There’s one other driving adjustment that old-timers should make to avoid airbag injuries: Stop turning the wheel with hand-over-hand steering. You’re a lot safer pushing with one hand and pulling with the other, that way, your hands are never in front of the airbag.
For decades, drivers were trained to hold the wheel at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions, because it increased control, and made turns easier, but following that rule today could turn a fender-bender into a gory accident. That’s because 10 and 2 o’clock puts your arms above the plastic cover that holds your car’s airbag. And since airbags deploy at 250 miles an hour, close impact can do serious damage.
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, improper hand placement during airbag deployment can cause fractures, and amputated hands and a traumatic injury called degloving, which basically rips all the skin off your hands.
Dallas police sergeant and driving injury expert Paul Hinton recommends the “parallel position” – basically, putting your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock, which keeps your arms out of the line of fire. It also gives you more control of your car, because it lowers your center of gravity, and reduces excessive steering wheel movement.
There’s one other driving adjustment that old-timers should make to avoid airbag injuries: Stop turning the wheel with hand-over-hand steering. You’re a lot safer pushing with one hand and pulling with the other, that way, your hands are never in front of the airbag.
