# Driving in Reverse: "Steer in the Opposite Way"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345 "2010-06-15T20:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/1 "2010-06-15T20:07:49Z")
Several times in my life I’ve heard people say that when you’re backing up in a car you need to “steer in the opposite direction.” Just this morning when I was talking to a friend about trying to teach my daughter to drive in reverse, he mentioned steering in the opposite direction. I’ve been skeptical of that advice for 25 years, and right now it’s a real issue so I’m trying to examine it more critically. Two questions; 1. Are you familiar with that advice? 2. Is it bogus? To me, it’s bogus. When you’re backing up, if you want the car to move to your right, you turn the wheel to the right. Clockwise moves you right, Counter-clockwise moves you left, just like when you’re moving forward. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/2 "2010-06-15T20:11:18Z")
I was taught it as “Turn the wheel the way you want your back end to go”. I suppose that means the front end turns the other way. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/3 "2010-06-15T20:24:18Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > To me, it’s bogus. When you’re backing up, if you want the car to move to your right, you turn the wheel to the right. Clockwise moves you right, Counter-clockwise moves you left, just like when you’re moving forward. > > Am I missing something? If you have your head turned and are looking backward, then to go left from that perspective requires you to turn the wheel right. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/4 "2010-06-15T20:31:17Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > To me, it’s bogus. When you’re backing up, if you want the car to move to your right, you turn the wheel to the right. Clockwise moves you right, Counter-clockwise moves you left, just like when you’re moving forward. > > Am I missing something? I’m WAGing here, but what you say of course makes sense. I think when people have difficulty backing up, and I certainly did while I was learning, they don’t reverse their mental direction. If you turn the wheel to the left while the car is going forward, you car goes from | to . So, if you’re backing up and you want to go right, you’re trying to orient the car so it goes , so you turn the wheel to the left. I’m guessing here, because it has been a while, but that seems like the (subconscious) thought process. Obviously, if you take the time to think about the positioning of the wheels, the correct way quickly makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/5 "2010-06-15T20:45:13Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > 1. Is it bogus? I don’t think it’s “bogus”, I think it’s a matter of perspective. I think that **Baracus** and **Bosstone** got it right, depending on how you’re thinking of things. If you want the front of the car to point more to the left, steer right. If you’re turned around, the back becomes the new front, so left and right are reversed. If you want your (turned around) “new front” to go left, then steer right. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/6 "2010-06-15T21:20:10Z")
Were they talking about backing up a trailer? ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/7 "2010-06-15T22:04:28Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Were they talking about backing up a trailer? This makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/8 "2010-06-15T22:25:22Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Were they talking about backing up a trailer? This is the only time I’ve heard the phrase ‘steer in the opposite direction’ (you want the trailer to go). ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/9 "2010-06-15T22:29:45Z")
This kinda goes with the whole “steer into the skid” thing that you also hear in drivers ed…but also makes no sense. Why do they make it so complicated - I just turn the steering wheel in the direction I want the car to go. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/10 "2010-06-15T23:26:01Z")
Going forward, facing forward, you turn the wheel to the right (clockwise) to go right. To go backward, your lower body (hips and legs) is still seated in a “forward” position, and the arm you’re steering with is in essentially the same orientation as it was when going forward, but your shoulders and neck are turned so your head is facing backward, so you can see where you’re going. Now, if you want the rear (leading end) of the car to go the left from your head’s perspective, the wheel needs to be turned to the right (passenger) side of the car, again clockwise. So you turn the wheel to the right to go left. Thus you steer in the opposite direction. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/11 "2010-06-16T00:38:28Z")
it’s advice that may only work for certain people. I mentally feel like I’m steering the way I want to go, obviously my brain is wired in a way that it seems natural to me. To me if I want to steer right from my body’s perspective, I steer “right hand down.” ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/12 "2010-06-16T00:57:10Z")
> [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > This kinda goes with the whole “steer into the skid” thing that you also hear in drivers ed…but also makes no sense. Why do they make it so complicated - I just turn the steering wheel in the direction I want the car to go. Presumably you haven’t actually managed to slide a car before then. If you are skidding, the rear end is coming around. If you keep the front wheels pointed where they were, you will wind up pointing too far in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/13 "2010-06-16T01:44:55Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Presumably you haven’t actually managed to slide a car before then. If you are skidding, the rear end is coming around. If you keep the front wheels pointed where they were, you will wind up pointing too far in that direction. But if you feel the car sliding then you’re going to turn the other way naturally. If you point your front wheels in the direction you want the car to go you’ll be ok (to a point). I think the difficulty comes from people who have no natural ability trying to put into words what a lot of other people just do naturally. This is great for the people who need the help but can lead to over-thinking and confusion for those who were already doing it properly. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/14 "2010-06-16T01:48:23Z")
I do think “steer into the skid” is unnecessarily confusing. The British version, “apply opposite lock” makes much more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/15 "2010-06-16T02:30:16Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > If you turn the wheel to the left while the car is going forward, you car goes from | to . So, if you’re backing up and you want to go right, you’re trying to orient the car so it goes , so you turn the wheel to the left. > Obviously, if you take the time to think about the positioning of the wheels, the correct way quickly makes sense. My initial instructions (to my daughter) were to think of the way the wheels were turned. I’d hold up my forearms and say, "If your wheels are like this \ \ then you’ll obviously go this way… " And sweep my hands clockwise. That didn’t work. > [@74westy](#): > > Were they talking about backing up a trailer? No, but obviously it can’t be true for both a car with and without a trailer. For a trailer it makes sense to me. > [@Hedda\_Rosa](#): > > This kinda goes with the whole “steer into the skid” thing that you also hear in drivers ed…but also makes no sense. That’s also bothered me for a long time, but I’ve never thought it through carefully. I mentioned that conventional wisdom to my daughter and told her that if she was sliding she should try to get her wheels straightened out. > [@Gary\_T](#): > > Going forward, facing forward, you turn the wheel to the right (clockwise) to go right. > > To go backward, your lower body (hips and legs) is still seated in a “forward” position, and the arm you’re steering with is in essentially the same orientation as it was when going forward, but your shoulders and neck are turned so your head is facing backward (…) Sometimes I just use the mirrors, and even when my head is turned it rarely goes beyond 90 degrees (i.e. perpendicular to my hips.) So, only a minute bit of my body is oriented more backwards than forwards. > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > it’s advice that may only work for certain people. I mentally feel like I’m steering the way I want to go(…) When I think back to my own “learning to drive” days, there was a moment akin to learning to ride a bicycle. Suddenly the brain understood what was required, with no verbalization required. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/16 "2010-06-16T12:49:41Z")
Whilst doing my summer gig as a construction worker, I was one day operating a tractor with one of those big old, lawn mowing trailer attachments. Going forward ='ed no problem but in reverse, forget about it. Such that one day I was struggling mightily to back the rig into its storage spot and I got the entire unit hopelessly jackknifed and was about to snap the trailer right off. I asked one of the equipment operators to stand behind me and guide me in when he said, “I got it.” He gets on the tractor, goes forward about three feet to straighten things out and then flings it in reverse and backs it up like it was nothing. He flips me the keys and thought nothing of it. I was like, “How did you…with the thing…and going backward…” ---
**Author:** ![v6hilux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@v6hilux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/v6hilux)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/17 "2010-06-16T13:00:30Z")
In my opinion, steering a car or car and trailer in reverse can’t be explained by me! I been doing it so long, with no problems, because I don’t think about which way to turn the wheel, it just happens. It all comes down to Cognitive thought for me. Also I remember when learning to drive (27 years ago) in reverse - “slow on the pedal and fast with the wheel” to correct a wrong move! Just like looking at the talking passenger, pedals, shift stick and other accessories, how are you going to live very long if you are not looking where you are heading to? ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/18 "2010-06-16T13:54:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I do think “steer into the skid” is unnecessarily confusing. The British version, “apply opposite lock” makes much more sense. I’m laughing a little about that being better advice, because to me, “apply opposite lock” seems like a verb/adjective/noun combo chosen by random pointing in a dictionary. Ignite Unruly Templates. Chastise Loving Catamarans. Apply Opposite Lock. I have no idea what it means. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/19 "2010-06-16T14:09:35Z")
I’ve never been able to figure that one out. I’ve backed up trailers with no problems, as long as I didn’t try to think about it too hard. Then somebody once told me that when backing up, it’s easier if your hand is at the bottom of the wheel, instead of the top as usual. That seemed to help a lot. The more I think about "steer in the opposite direction the more confused I get…do you mean while I’m turned around looking out the back? Using the mirrors facing front? Which opposite! And what the heck is an opposite lock? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345/20 "2010-06-16T14:24:23Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > I’m laughing a little about that being better advice, because to me, “apply opposite lock” seems like a verb/adjective/noun combo chosen by random pointing in a dictionary. Steer the other way. Or… _Defenestrate Jordanian buckets._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-reverse-steer-in-the-opposite-way/543345.md?page=2)