Driver Education
A recent report on NBC news proclaimed that everyone that drives a motor vehicle has been lead astray by their “old school” driver education instructors. AAA and the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration for many years have recommended the 9:00-3:00 hand position. Now many driver education and safety organizations are going one step further and recommending the 8:00-4:00 position. The rationale behind this dramatic change is because of the “violent” deployment of air bags during a collision. Airbags deploy at a speed of over 100 miles per hour. This rapid deployment along with a higher hand position, these authors contend, could cause “amputation of fingers and hands as well as traumatic fractures.”
Is this Defensive Driving or Reactive Driving?
So are parents and driver educators supposed to change the way they teach hand position solely based on air bag deployment? I guess if you are an aggressive driver and tailgate often, the 8:00-4:00 hand position is the hand position for you. Your hands and fingers will be safe when you are involved in that high speed collision.
Personally I am going to continue to drive with my hands high on the wheel, the way my so called “old school” driver education instructors taught me. My hands will continue to fluctuate between the 10:00-2:00 position and the 9:00-3:00 position. I actually prefer 10:00-2:00 for best steering control and reaction time. After reading some of the reactions to this NBC story I see that a lot of truck drivers, regular motorists and old school driving instructors are in total agreement with me!
How about this for an idea. Let’s learn how to drive defensively and prevent the air bags from ever going off! Basic defensive driving principles such as early recognition of problems using a visual lead time, and proper following distances will go a long way in the prevention of these collisions. The best defense is being proactive. Here are my personal reasons for not changing my hand position:
- Optimum steering control comes from the top of the wheel (power steering or not!).
- The 8:00-4:00 position is lazy and unnatural.
- Show me one NASCAR driver with their hands below 9:00-3:00! Aren’t these drivers concerned about safety?
- Even if you decide to place your hands lower on the wheel, many drivers will still react and go back to the top of the wheel for steering control. As your hands move from the bottom of the wheel to the top of the wheel your car continues to move. That time your hands are moving represents critical distance. Distance that you could have used to prevent the collision.
- 80% of all motor vehicle crashes are preventable if you drive with basic defensive driving principles. Identifying problems early in your visual pattern along with the skill of predicting what other vehicles, animals and pedestrians will do, will help prevent these airbags from ever going off!
Make your own defensive driving decision!
As a teacher and a continuous learner of defensive driving principles I will continue to elect a high hand position on the steering wheel. I personally believe in being proactive and preventing an accident before it ever occurs. The high steering wheel position is comfortable and works for me. You will have to make your own informed decision based on the current data and your own personal driving history. If you fear the air bag then maybe you will need to change that hand position.
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