Why do people drive with both hands on the steering wheel?

[Thraxen]

Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck. Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

I don't buy that at all. To be able to keep turning the wheel with one hand you can't actually grip the wheel all the way around, you have to switch to pressure only (open palm)... which is how most people turn when using one hand. I'd love to see you pull that stunt if you ever had to swerve off-road. The wheel would be jerked out of your hand so fast on rough terrain you would be out of control in seconds. I bet everyone here claiming to be able to drive better with one hand has or will grip the will tightly with both hands when an actual emergency arises. You have better control when having to "fight" the steering wheel (i.e. rough terrain) when using two hands. Period. There really is no debate which is safer.

 

[randomlinh]

I tend to drive at the 12/5 position.. or 12/shifter. heh. well.. when I get the chance to drive stick. But yeah.. if ever have an emergency and encounter rough terrain.. w/o 2 hands you're screwed.

 

[YetioDoom]

I feel much more in control with two hands on the wheel, although most of the time I just have my right hand at 6 oclock.

I'm right footed, but still tend to use both feet to stand, but that's probably just me.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck. Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

I don't buy that at all. To be able to keep turning the wheel with one hand you can't actually grip the wheel all the way around, you have to switch to pressure only (open palm)... which is how most people turn when using one hand. I'd love to see you pull that stunt if you ever had to swerve off-road. The wheel would be jerked out of your hand so fast on rough terrain you would be out of control in seconds. I bet everyone here claiming to be able to drive better with one hand has or will grip the will tightly with both hands when an actual emergency arises. You have better control when having to "fight" the steering wheel (i.e. rough terrain) when using two hands. Period. There really is no debate which is safer.

I never claimed not to use use two hands in certain situations. I just usually drive one handed in most situations because it frees up my right hand for shifting. And for the record, it is possible to grip the steering wheel firmly with one hand and make minor course adjustments, not extremely sharp turns no...but then again at a high rate of speed, turning the steering wheel into an extreme angle is probably just going to make the situation worse.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: farmercal
I usually just drive with both hands resting on the pad in the middle of the steering wheel (becausing I am normally cruising down the highway). When in heavy traffic I use two hands. That just feels more confortable to me. I can't imagine anyone steering out of a bad situation with only one hand. I know a lot of you are going to say you can do anything with that one hand but I bet in a emergency you use that other hand.

Bet taken, and won. In fact, it was getting through an emergency situation that made me rethink the whole 2 hand driving style.

 

[DeeKnow]

Originally posted by: Dari
Unless you ambi-dexterous (sic?), it's very dangerous to drive with both hands. It can be hard to coordinate both hands to do what you want. Things can get more dicey if the situation is critical, forcing you to think fast. I like to drive with my right-hand (I'm right-handed) on the 12:00 position of the steering wheel. Driving at 9 and 3 is dangerous IMHO.

that's the absolute worst way to drive... oh no, hold on.... there is one that is worse - with one hand, in the six o clock position.

 

[C'DaleRider]

Sometimes one, sometimes two....depending on what the road surface is, speed driving, weather, etc. Try towing a 3,500 pound boat trailer in windy conditions jsut palming the wheel....or any trailer for that matter. Two hands on the wheel then helps you make those multiple minute corrections very easily and won't tire you nearly as quickly as palming would.

But I suppose if you drive only on glass-like asphalt, never strike potholes or have any other bad road conditions, then more power to you.

To assert one can turn the wheel faster palming than the standard two-hand use is silly......do you think using two hands on the wheel is gluing your hands to the wheel? Just because one has two hands resting on the wheel doesn't mean oen cannot instantly revert to a palming method if needed.

As for just palming all the time, heaven help you if you blow out a front tire..........

 

[dirtboy]

When you regularly drive 80+ mph on surface streets to get around traffic like I do, it helps to have both hands on the wheel. I find that I have far more control, especially if one hand shoud slip or if I hit a bump that causes me to briefly lose grip.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck. Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

I don't buy that at all. To be able to keep turning the wheel with one hand you can't actually grip the wheel all the way around, you have to switch to pressure only (open palm)... which is how most people turn when using one hand. I'd love to see you pull that stunt if you ever had to swerve off-road. The wheel would be jerked out of your hand so fast on rough terrain you would be out of control in seconds. I bet everyone here claiming to be able to drive better with one hand has or will grip the will tightly with both hands when an actual emergency arises. You have better control when having to "fight" the steering wheel (i.e. rough terrain) when using two hands. Period. There really is no debate which is safer.

Yeah, because cars today dont have power steering or anything... :roll:

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Exactly. Some people prefer two hands, and I have no problem with that. But since suicide knobs are illegal, I just press my palm hard on the wheel and crank. If need be, I can turn the wheel really fast using this method. I KNOW I couldn't do it as fast with two hands.

True, but unless you're parking your car how often do you need to use the entire range of motion of your turning wheels?

I think that if you've got only one arm you can buy a suicide knob!

Muddin. When your blasting through a field at 45 and hit some slick surface (Hard dirt with a thin layer of mud) you'll slide all over hell if you dont hold a STRAIGHT line, which means you end up in gentle S turns real fast, you just one hand open palm and correct back and forth and have fun.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: C'DaleRider
As for just palming all the time, heaven help you if you blow out a front tire..........

You know, thats the wonderful thing about having two arms...if I need the other one, I can use it.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: Shockwave
Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

Don't they teach you the hand-over-hand technique in KS? You fail your test in NJ if you don't know how to do it.

BTW, are you a professional driver?

Regardless, I stand by my original claim that someone who lacks the coordination to operate both hands at the same time probably shouldn't be driving.

I actually dont know. I recieved my license in Ne and Mo, havent transffered to Kansas yet. And yes, you fail if you dont use 2 hands. Am I a professional? No, but considering I've driven out 3 cars, used to drive grain truck, tractor, farm vehicles, sports cars in the city and backyard racing I'll say I'm an experienced driver.

I'll also agree, someone who lacks coordination. I guess my point was a blanket statement like "Everyone controls it better with 2 hands" seems a bit generalized to me. In an emergency situation, I myself prefer 1 hand as it makes small dleicate corrections MUCh easier for me, and also allows me to quickly change out to open palm for fast wide ranging corrections.

 

[Thraxen]

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

Yes, I used to mud back in HS. I still don't buy that one hand is better than two. You simply can't argue that one hand has better control than two. I'm talking about a about relatively high speed sudden departure from the road. You ever see off-road racers driving with one hand? Nope. At high speeds the wheel can be jerked so hard that one hand simply does not cut it... again, no debate here. I simply think you, like virtually everyone else, is overestimating your driving ability. Again, in an actually emergency I bet you will reach out and grip the wheel with both hands automatically, it's just safer.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

Yes, I used to mud back in HS. I still don't buy that one hand is better than two. You simply can't argue that one hand has better control than two. I'm talking about a about relatively high speed sudden departures from the road. You ever see off-road racers driving with one hand? Nope. At high speeds the wheel can be jerked so hard that one hand simply does not cut it... again, no debate here. I simply think you, like virtually everyone else, is overestimating your driving ability. Again, in an actually emergency I bet you will reach out and grip the wheel with both hands automatically, it's just safer.

What if you had one normal hand, and one hand that was a lobster claw?

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

Yes, I used to mud back in HS. I still don't buy that one hand is better than two. You simply can't argue that one hand has better control than two. I'm talking about a about relatively high speed sudden departure from the road. You ever see off-road racers driving with one hand? Nope. At high speeds the wheel can be jerked so hard that one hand simply does not cut it... again, no debate here. I simply think you, like virtually everyone else, is overestimating your driving ability. Again, in an actually emergency I bet you will reach out and grip the wheel with both hands automatically, it's just safer.

Well, the past 3 emergency (serious) situations I was in I used one hand. The last one was the definition of finesse. I FULLY feel that if I had 2 hands I would have wrecked. Maybe others use 2 hands, and as I said before, thats fine. But me, I'm a one handed driver, and it hasnt failed me yet and I've been in some hairy situations.

Dont misunderstand me, I'm not saying it right for everyone. But for ME, its by and far better then 2 hands.

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

Have you ever DRIVEN off road?! When I go muddin I ALWAYS drive with one hand, open palm, so I can make quick corrections on the wheel without oversteering. And I've been in some deep nasty terrain before......

Yes, I used to mud back in HS. I still don't buy that one hand is better than two. You simply can't argue that one hand has better control than two. I'm talking about a about relatively high speed sudden departures from the road. You ever see off-road racers driving with one hand? Nope. At high speeds the wheel can be jerked so hard that one hand simply does not cut it... again, no debate here. I simply think you, like virtually everyone else, is overestimating your driving ability. Again, in an actually emergency I bet you will reach out and grip the wheel with both hands automatically, it's just safer.

In an emergency, one hand is better because you have much more delicate control. That allows you to make quick, but small or large decisions. Two hands require that both are in sync and you are prone to make bigger turns. Believe me, when you're going 60-100 mph and someone swerves (sic?) in front of you, or if you hit a debris on the road, one hand allows you to make the necessary turns without overdoing it. Overreacting can cause you to hit the guy in the other lane, causing a major pile-up, or worse.

Oh, the brakes are your friends too.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
The prober position is 10 and 2, and there's nothing wrong with it. It keeps the morons from jerking their wheel in case of an emergency.

That is the way I was taught unless my gf was sitting next to me then one hand was up her skirt

Sysadmin

 

[Thraxen]

In an emergency, one hand is better because you have much more delicate control. That allows you to make quick, but small or large decisions. Two hands require that both are in sync and you are prone to make bigger turns. Believe me, when you're going 60-100 mph and someone swerves (sic?) in front of you, or if you hit a debris on the road, one hand allows you to make the necessary turns without overdoing it. Overreacting can cause you to hit the guy in the other lane, causing a major pile-up, or worse.

Wrong. Most people will overreact with one hand too and will tend to turn the wheel in the direction it's easiest for the hand to go (left with left hand, etc...) even when it's not the best direction to actually go. Who has a hard time coordinating both hands? That's just a ridiculous argument. Seriously, you or Shockwave are simply going to get owned one day if you can suddenly go off the road and try to maintain control with one hand.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Thraxen

In an emergency, one hand is better because you have much more delicate control. That allows you to make quick, but small or large decisions. Two hands require that both are in sync and you are prone to make bigger turns. Believe me, when you're going 60-100 mph and someone swerves (sic?) in front of you, or if you hit a debris on the road, one hand allows you to make the necessary turns without overdoing it. Overreacting can cause you to hit the guy in the other lane, causing a major pile-up, or worse.

Wrong. Most people will overreact with one hand too and will tend to turn the wheel in the direction it's easiest for the hand to go (left with left hand, etc...) even when it's not the best direction to actually go. Who has a hard time coordinating both hands? That's just a ridiculous argument. Seriously, you or Shockwave are simply going to get owned one day if you can suddenly go off the road and try to maintain control with one hand.

Maybe for you. As I've said in almost every post, *I* drive better with 1 hand. Its been proven to me time and time again. I have better control and can do more delicate moves. Why? Because with 2 hands you have too much muscle. Power steering > all, you DONT need the strength of 2 arms. Well, maybe some of the geeks on here do, but a big stud like myself doesnt

 

[Eli]

What in fscks sake are you talking about?

And.. whoever said that it's harder to steer a car without power steering than with... WTF?

Yeah, maybe if you're moving 5mph.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Eli
What in fscks sake are you talking about?

42

 

[TooOne21]

Taking a road test.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Eli
What in fscks sake are you talking about?

42

IT WAS J00!!!!!!111one



I've never really been able to tell the difference between power and non-power steering when moving at speeds of over say 20mph....... lol

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Shockwave

Originally posted by: Eli
What in fscks sake are you talking about?

42

IT WAS J00!!!!!!111one



I've never really been able to tell the difference between power and non-power steering when moving at speeds of over say 20mph....... lol

It becomes apparent at speeds over 100

Hence speed activated power steering. Faster you go, less power you have on the steering.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: ShockwaveAs someone whos done quite a bit of driving myself Let me tell you your full of it. In todays cars you can respond just as quickly due to the aid of power steering. The biggest factor in you fast you turn that wheel isnt how many hands you use but how many turns to lock your rack and pinion have. I ALWAYS drive with 1 hand on the wheel. Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck. Also, its harder to initiate a turn to lock situation with 2 hands then 1, as with one you can instantly slide into a open palm and spin the wheel around whereas with 2 hands you need to remove 1 hand, or you can go about 90 degrtees MAX before your arms are crossed and you cant turn it anymore.

This is comlete and utter nonsense. You sir should go take a driving class or better yet go to one of those racing schools. Try driving a racing car with one hand and tell me that you have more control with one hand on the wheel. :roll:

Using 2 hands with power steering for most people means a gross overcorrection and a wreck.

This is perhaps the dumbest thing I've ever read on ATOT!!! Can you back that up with ANY facts? I thought not.

And for the race car driver comment, thats easy. They dont have power steering!! And they have about 1 turn to lock!! So obviously with no power steering and quick response you want 2 hands for better control. Because you may very well miss your turn if you use 1 hand due to it being much harder to turn a car without power steering then with.

Wrong again! Many racing cars have power steering. Formula One cars have power steering! Race car drivers don't use two hands because the cars don't have power steering, they use two hands because it gives them better control of the car.